Repercussions
by Golden Immortality
Summary: [Sequel to Vengeance] Finally, the liars are free of A and can live their lives without having to look over their shoulders. And the friend they all thought was dead, is very much alive and back in Rosewood. How will things change now that A is gone and Alison is back? Because when vengeance is wrought, the repercussions must be dealt with. Couples: Emaya, Spoby, Ezria, Haleb
1. Happy Days

**A/N:** Hey, guys, I'm back! I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long for this sequel. I couldn't stay away from this story for too long; I needed to get back to it, just like all of you. :) I hope you all enjoy this story as much as you enjoyed the first one. Here's the first chapter.

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**~ Chapter One ~**

**~~ Happy Days ~~**

_**January**_

_**Emily**_

A shrill whistle cut through the air, bouncing off the high ceiling and walls. The four year old giggled and laughed, then she blew on the whistle again. The girls had turned four just last month with a big party, celebrating another year that they were both happy and healthy. Emily smiled down at Mackenzie, taking the whistle from the little girl's lips before she blew on it again.

"Good job, Kenzie," Emily praised, as she placed the little girl back on her feet. She stood next to her sister as the swim team climbed out of the pool and gathered around. The girls were all too adorable in their similar bathing suits and braids. They each wore a white one-piece; Mackenzie's had purple flowers and ruffles at the waist and Molly's had orange flowers and ruffles.

"Here, mommy," Molly said, holding out the clipboard.

"Thank you, baby," Emily smiled at her, taking it. Then, she turned to the team. "Ok, good practice, everybody. We don't have a meet until next weekend, but we're still going to have our regular practices. I'm going to switch up the lineup next time, so everybody pay attention next practice." The team was dismissed after that, and they dispersed to the locker rooms to change.

"Mommy, we swim now?" Mackenzie asked, tugging on Emily's pants.

"Yeah, go put your life vests on," Emily told them. "The class should be here in a couple minutes." The girls ran off to get their vests from the bench. The swim class was technically for older kids, but the twins loved to be in the water and being mommy's helpers. Making sure she could still see them, Emily began cleaning up after the team and preparing for the class. She gathered some kick-boards together for today's lesson.

Suddenly, a loud cry reverberated off the walls. Emily turned just in time to see Mackenzie bite down on Molly's arm with her teeth. Molly had her life vest half on, and Kenzie had her other hand on it, as well. Molly cried, squeezing her eyes shut. Emily rushed over to the girls.

"Kenzie, hey, we don't bite!" Emily reprimanded her young daughter. She dropped the kick-boards down beside the bleachers and knelt down in front of them. Mackenzie backed up a step, and Molly fell into Emily's arms, wrapping her own arms around her, still crying. "What happened?"

"Molly, take my vest!" Mackenzie accused, pointing at her sister. One of the drawbacks of the twins having the exact same things is the objects getting mixed up and fights breaking out. Molly shook her head vehemently against Emily's shoulder.

"Well, let's see..." Emily refereed. She used one hand to check the tag on the vest hanging on Molly's arm and printed neatly on it was Molly's name. "Kenzie, this Molly's vest. Where's yours?"

"No, Molly take mine!" Mackenzie argued, stomping her foot. "I put mine under my towel and..." She retraced her steps to prove that she was right, but, instead when she picked up her towel, her pink and blue vest slipped from the bench onto the floor. "Oh, oops," Kenzie giggled.

"See, you need to remember where you put your things," Emily told her. "Now, is there something you want to say to your sister?" Molly stood up straight, her finger playing with her lip as she wiped her cheeks dry with her other hand.

Mackenzie walked over to her sister. "Sorry, Molly," she apologized, and wrapped her little arms around Molly. Molly hugged her back. Then, Kenzie kissed her sister on her arm over the teeth marks she had left there.

"That's my girls," Emily grinned, running a hand down each of their braids. "But, Kenzie, you still bit Molly. So, I want you to put your vest on and sit right here until class begins. Molly's going to help me first."

"No! Nooo! No!" Mackenzie whined, rising up and down on the balls of her feet.

"I'm sorry, Mackenzie," Emily said, standing back up. The students from the swim class, who were between the ages of six and eight, began to filter into room. Mackenzie turned and sat down on the bleachers, and immediately started to cry. Emily hated to see either of her daughters crying, but being a parent meant making the hard choices, too. Mackenzie had to learn her lesson.

Emily called the class to order, and instructed each of them to take a kick-board and get in the water. She slipped out of her track pants, and slipped into the water herself. Then, she lifted Molly into the pool. Molly was overexcited, treading water around in a circle, as the class got underway. About a couple minutes later, Mackenzie was allowed to get up and sit on the edge of the pool. Molly and Mackenzie switched places halfway through the lesson, and it was like that whole ugly mess was long forgotten.

As Emily dismissed the class, the twins swam around the pool, playing tag. The last kid left with their parents, and Emily turned away from the wall of the pool, back to the girls. "Ok, girls, just a couple more minutes, then we have to go," she told the twins.

"YAY!" Molly and Mackenzie chorused, in unison. Then, they began splashing each other. Soon, the girls were ganging up on their mommy, and they were all screaming and having fun. Emily lay back, floating, and the girls swam onto either side of her, holding on to her arms. A few minutes passed as they lay in the water.

"It looks like I'm missing out on all the fun," a voice said from up on the deck.

The three of them looked up, and saw Maya standing above them. "Mommy!" Molly and Mackenzie exclaimed together, swimming over to the side of the pool. Maya touched the tops of their wet heads, kneeling down.

"Hi," Maya smiled at them. "Did you have fun with mommy?"

"Yep," Mackenzie replied, with a big smile of her own. Molly began to try to climb out of the pool. Maya reached out to hold on to her, helping her, so that she didn't hurt herself.

"We teached da kids to swim!" Molly added, flourishing her arms and flicking water everywhere.

"You did?!" Maya laughed. Molly had some loose hair sticking to her face, and Maya pushed them back off of her face. Emily lifted Mackenzie out of the pool, and then herself, sitting on the edge.

"They were both really good helpers," Emily said, proudly. She pulled her long hair over her shoulder and started squeezing the water out of it. Maya leaned in and kissed Emily on the lips, sweetly, murmuring 'I missed you'. Emily whispered it back, grinning, and kissed her back, too.

"It was sooooo much fun!" Mackenzie exclaimed, interrupting the tender moment, leaning on Emily and wrapping her arms around her mommy's neck.

"I bet it was," Maya responded. "And I bet you two are hungry now?" She looked from Mackenzie to Molly.

Molly nodded, "Yeah, swimming is hard work."

Emily and Maya both stood up. "Ok, let's go get dried off and changed, and then we'll go get something for lunch," Maya suggested, taking each of her daughters' hands and led them away from the pool. Emily reached the bleachers first and wrapped a towel around herself. Then, she wrapped a towel around Molly first, and then one around Mackenzie.

"Can we have M'donalds?" Molly asked.

"Of course," Maya answered her. Then, she looked at Emily. "Is their stuff in the locker room?"

"Yes, they wanted to put their clothes in a locker just like the team," Emily explained, smiling. "Show mommy where your clothes are," she instructed the girls. The twins agreed cheerfully, and Emily watched them walk away to the locker room before gathering the rest of their stuff together. She smiled to herself, thinking that she couldn't be any happier.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_**Spencer**_

"Welcome home!" the little boy announced at the top of his lungs. The new family of four entered the house, led by the rambunctious three year old, Tyler. Spencer and Toby followed behind him, carrying their two month old daughter in her baby carrier. Eliza was a tiny little thing, after being two months premature. She had a rough start, but she quickly bounced back, with all the love and support from both of her parents. She was right on par with her developmental age, but, though she gained enough weight to be released from the hospital, she was still small.

"Tyler, buddy, shhhh," Toby shushed him, though he was smiling. "You're going to scare her."

Tyler ducked his head, but followed Spencer as she set the baby down on the coffee table. Tyler stood up on his tiptoes, peering over the side of the carrier to look at his baby sister. "What do you think? Are you glad she's home?" Spencer asked him, grinning down at him.

"Yeah," Tyler nodded. "She not in her cage anymore. Can I hold her now?"

Spencer and Toby looked at each other, then Spencer looked back down at Tyler. "Ok, but you have to be very careful with her. You can't drop her," she told her son.

Tyler agreed, and Toby lifted him up and sat him on the couch, placing him all the way against the back of the couch. Spencer unbuckled and lifted Eliza out of the seat, carefully, and brought her over to the couch. Tyler held out his arms excitedly. Spencer put the baby in his open arms, laying her against Tyler's chest so that her head was supported. Tyler wrapped his arms around Eliza tightly but snugly, clasping his hands together. Spencer sat down on Tyler's other side.

The little boy glanced up with the biggest smile ever on his face. "Look, I holding my sister!" he exclaimed.

"And you're doing a great job," Toby praised him, ruffling his son's hair. "Are you going to be a great big brother?"

"Yup," Tyler nodded, "I gonna teach her lots of things."

"Oh, yeah, like what?" Spencer asked him, chuckling.

"It's a secret," Tyler said. Then, he brought his mouth down to Eliza's ear, and whispered in a not too quiet whisper. "I show you how to sneak cookies when mommy and daddy not looking." Tyler giggled mischievously, while the baby just looked up at him.

Spencer gasped good-naturedly, laughing. "You little sneak!" They all laughed together, and then sobered up as Tyler continued to hold his baby sister. Spencer leaned down and kissed Tyler's cheek. "Good job. Do you love your sister?"

"She not that bad," Tyler shrugged his shoulders. However, he looked back down at Eliza and squeezed her in another hug. Spencer and Toby smiled at each other over their son holding their daughter. Then, they leaned forward in a kiss. Their lips just brushed in a light, soft, teasing kiss when a small cry erupted from the baby's lips.

Tyler froze and tensed up. "Uh oh, uh oh!" he exclaimed, as Eliza began crying and fussing more. "I don't want her no more!"

"It's okay, baby, she's just hungry," Spencer explained to her son. She started to take Eliza from him, but Toby stopped her, taking the baby instead.

"I'll feed her a bottle," Toby said. He settled his daughter in his arms, and stood up.

Spencer stood up in front of him. "I can do it," she insisted, holding her hands out for the baby.

"I know you can do it, but you're exhausted," Toby replied. "You need to take a shower and rest."

"You're not going to hand her over until I agree, are you?" Spencer smirked, placing her hands on her hips. Toby shook his head, grinning, his blue eyes shining. "Well, I'm not giving in, I'm just ending an argument before it begins." Spencer leaned in and kissed him. It started as just a peck, but it transformed into something more intense and passionate.

"Blegh!" Tyler squealed. Spencer and Toby broke apart, laughing, and looked at their son. He scooted off the couch and ran to his playroom. They turned back to each other. Spencer leaned over and kissed Eliza's forehead.

"Be a good girl for daddy," Spencer murmured. She straightened back up, this time pecking Toby on the lips, her own lips lingering there for a second. "I'll only be ten minutes," she emphasized. Toby grinned, watching as she left the room and went up the stairs.

Then, he was alone with his daughter. "Well, now it's just us," Toby spoke softly to the baby, "What should we do?" He smiled down at her, walking to the kitchen to get her a bottle. Eliza just stared up at him with her brown eyes, perfectly content to be in her daddy's arms. Life couldn't get any better.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_**Aria**_

The blissfully in love couple stepped out of the banquet hall they had just reserved for their wedding set during the beginning of the summer. Ezra held the door open for his fiancee and son, whom didn't even look up from his video game. Out in the winter air, Aria zipped Liam's jacket up more and pushed his knit hat down further on his head, evoking some complaints from the six year old.

"Mommy, c'mon, you're messing me up!" Liam complained, squirming out of Aria's reach. He continued tapping on the controls of his DS game, the music filtering through the air on a high volume.

"Well, if you paused your game for a minute to put your coat on all the way, I wouldn't have had to," Aria told him, squeezing his shoulders lightly.

"I can't, I'm almost to level 10," Liam argued.

"Yeah, he's almost to level 10," Ezra agreed, laughing. Aria frowned at him for only a couple seconds before she couldn't keep the smile off her face. He smiled, too, his arm wrapping around her waist as they began walking. Liam walked between them but slightly in front, playing his game and looking up occasionally so that he didn't walk into anything.

"So, what did you think of it?" Aria asked Ezra, slipping her own arm around him. "You didn't really say much."

"About the hall?" Ezra clarified, glancing down at her. "Well, I think it's perfect. All that really matters is what you think of it. It's your day." He kissed her temple.

"Aww, that's so sweet," Aria cooed, laying her head on Ezra's shoulder for a second and looking up at him, receiving his kiss. "But, it's _our _day." She picked her head up. "What do you really think?"

Ezra chuckled, shaking his head. "Really, I like it," he assured her. "I just can't wait to see you walking down the aisle towards me, and then you'll really be mine."

Aria melted and her smile couldn't get any bigger. They stopped walking as she leaned into him. Ezra brought his head down and met her halfway in a kiss. It was intense and full of heat and passion. Aria wrapped her arms around his neck, as she pressed even closer to him. It was heaven, being here in his arms, and she couldn't imagine being anywhere else.

"Ewww, I can hear you!" Liam complained. He stopped walking and turned around, having realized that his parents had both stopped walking.

Aria and Ezra laughed. She hooked her arm through Ezra's as they caught up to Liam. "You better get used to it," Ezra joked with his son. "I hear that there is supposed to be a kiss at the wedding."

"Then, I'm closing my eyes," Liam said, laughing, and sticking out his tongue.

Aria gave Liam's shoulder a playful shove. "Hey, I thought you were excited about the wedding?" she questioned.

"I am," Liam corrected, "Doesn't mean I wanna be grossed out!" Aria and Ezra feigned surprised with open mouths, and then they both reached out with one hand each and tickled their son as payback. Liam laughed and squirmed, skipping out of their reach. "Ok, ok, ok, I'm sorry!" he squealed.

"Ok, I think he learned his lesson," Aria smiled.

"Hm-mm," Ezra watched Liam carefully, pretending to act like he was going to tickle him again. "I don't know..." He grinned devilishly.

"I did, I did!" Liam shouted, holding out his hands as a shield and laughing. Then, he jumped when his dad lunged for him. Ezra got one more tickle in before they called a truce. "Can we eat now? I'm staaarving!" Liam asked, tapping his game against his leg as he walked.

"Yeah, you want to go to The Grille?" Aria asked him, knowing the answer was yes already. She touched his head.

Liam nodded. "I can't walk anymore, I'm hungryyyy!" he whined.

"Here," Ezra said. He lifted Liam up and placed him on his shoulders. Liam giggled, holding on to Ezra's hands so that he didn't fall. Ezra ran forward a few paces, taking Liam's mind off of his hunger.

Aria watched the two of them, happily. It was all so easy. Ezra had fit into Liam's and hers lives like the last piece of a puzzle. There was no awkwardness or force. It was like they were always meant to be a family. Ezra was bouncing Liam up and down, and, suddenly, it felt like someone was watching her. Aria whipped her head around, but she didn't see anything strange or unusual on the street. Just a few people out and about on this winter day, doing everyday things.

"Mommy, c'mon, hurry up, slowpoke!" Liam called. Aria looked back over at them, and saw Liam waving her over, still sitting on Ezra's shoulders. Aria hurried over to them, feeling like she could laugh out loud for how paranoid she was just then. There was nobody watching her or following her; that was now officially over. She walked with her family to The Grille, losing herself in the moment again.

Little did Aria know that someone was watching her. And he was just as hurt now as he was when she broke things off with him.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_**Hanna**_

"And you hafta wear dis," the two year old little girl explained, placing the pink and silver furry tiara on her daddy's head. Leslie clapped her small hands together, giggling. "Pwetty."

"Really? Are you sure?" Caleb asked her, playing along with the game. He already sat at a child's size table and chairs set, playing tea party with his daughter, a doll, and a bear that keeps falling out of its' chair. Now, Leslie was trying to dress him up for the occasion.

"Uh-ye...wait!" Leslie started to say, then interrupted herself. She ran over to her bureau, and picked up her doll's hairbrush. She ran back over to her daddy.

"Baby, I was only kidding," Caleb told him, smiling.

Being only two, she didn't understand what he meant, so she continued what she was going to do. "Hair messy," she said, and began brushing Caleb's hair. After just two brushes, the tiara tumbled to the floor and skidded a few feet away. "Uh-oh!" she yelped. She dropped the hairbrush and moved around her daddy to go get the tiara. But, as she did, she tripped over Caleb's foot and fell to the floor, nearly banging her face against the table. Leslie immediately started crying.

Caleb scooped her up into his lap. "I'm sorry, you're okay," he murmured to her. Leslie buried her face in his chest, whining. Caleb stroked her back, soothing her. In another minute, she was fine and back on her feet. Leslie picked the tiara back up, and placed it back on her daddy's head. She continued her game.

"Want sum tea?" Leslie offered, then poured some imaginary tea into a plastic teacup, making the sound effects. She did the same with another teacup. Just as she sat down in the chair opposite Caleb, Hanna appeared in the doorway with Hailey in her arms.

"Everything okay in here?" Hanna asked, having heard Leslie's cries.

"Yeah, everything's fine," Caleb assured her with a smile. "Just a small little accident, nothing big."

"I all better," Leslie repeated, turning around in her chair. "Wanna pay, mommy?" She leaned on the back of her chair, her teacup swinging on her finger by the handle.

"I'm sorry, sweetie," Hanna apologized. "It's time to feed Hailey her bottle."

"I wanna help! I wanna help!" Leslie exclaimed, shooting out of her chair and dropping her toys. She ran out of her room and into the hall.

Hanna and Caleb laughed together. Caleb stood up, walking to the door. "Sorry we ruined your game," Hanna smiled, as he came closer.

"It's fine," Caleb shrugged, "I don't think she even knew what she was playing. She kept changing the game." He dropped a kiss on Hailey's forehead, then stroked her head.

"Well, I'll just say that you look really good in that crown," Hanna told him, trying and failing to suppress her giggles.

Caleb ducked his head, embarrassed, taking the tiara off his head. "She has this way of looking at you that makes it really hard to say no," he mumbled, though he couldn't help but smile at thought of his oldest daughter.

"Aww," Hanna teased him, reaching up with one hand and stroking his cheek with her fingertips. "She has you wrapped around her finger already."

"Hey, I saw you give in to her more than once, too," Caleb reminded her.

"I didn't say I didn't," Hanna admitted, as he took another step closer. They leaned in for a kiss, surrendering to each other. It was short and sweet, but still passionate. The kiss ended, but they still lingered close to one another, staring into each other's eyes in their own personal bubble.

"Mommy," Leslie interrupted, forcing them apart. "Haiwey hungry."

"Ok, ok, let's go," Hanna said. She walked to the kitchen with Leslie on her heels to make Hailey's bottle. A minute passed, and then they were back out in the living room. They settled on the couch, Leslie crawling up beside Hanna with the bottle in her hands.

"Open up, baby," Leslie instructed Hailey, holding out the bottle to her sister. Hailey opened her mouth when she saw the bottle, and Leslie guided the bottle into the baby's mouth. Hailey took the bottle, and sucked on it hungrily.

A big smile broke out on Leslie's face, lighting up her blue eyes. "I doing it, I feeding her!" she squealed, excitedly. She looked at Hanna and Caleb. Hanna smiled at her.

"Good job," Caleb praised her, kissing her cheek, rubbing her back.

They sat there like that, with Leslie feeding Hailey the bottle for a few minutes. Then, her arm got tired of holding the bottle, so she relinquished it to Hanna, and Leslie cuddled with her daddy, watching cartoons. After a little bit, Hailey fell asleep. Caleb volunteered to put her in her crib. Leslie stayed on the couch, moving over to sit with her mommy now.

When a commercial came on the TV, Leslie looked up at Hanna. "I happy to be here," Leslie said, completely out of the blue.

Hanna looked down at her daughter, fighting to blink back tears. Hanna put her arms around, pulling her into a hug. "I'm happy you're here, too," she whispered into her daughter's hair. She didn't like thinking about all that Leslie had to suffer during her first two years of life, but once she did think it, it was hard to get rid of. "I love you," Hanna murmured.

"Love you, mommy," Leslie whispered back.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_**Alison**_

The Brew was a bit crowded that Thursday afternoon. Ali managed to find a seat near the back, as she waited for her boyfriend to come back with coffee. It had taken her a couple days to readjust to everything, to get used to life again outside of captivity. But now she felt like she was back on top again, her rightful place. Of course, her smoking hot boyfriend helped smooth the lines of awkwardness. Ali smiled secretively as she texted her four best friends. She reviewed the message and then sent it, satisfied.

Ali glanced up just in time to see her boyfriend making his way through the crowd over to her. She smiled at him as he approached. He kissed her seductively, nearly taking the breath out of her lungs. He handed her a cup of coffee and sat down across from her at the table. He leaned his arms on the table, holding his own cup between his hands.

"So, I was just thinking," he started off saying. "When are you going to tell your friends about us?"

Alison placed her cup down on the table after taking a small sip. She leaned her chin in her hand, smirking. "I thought you loved all the sneaking around we were doing," she purred. "You said it was sexy." She reached out with her free hand, running it up and down his arm.

"You know I love it," he grinned back, capturing her hand and bringing it to his lips. He kissed her knuckles before she expertly extricated her hand out of his.

"To answer your question," Ali explained, folding her arms on the table. "I just set up something. We're having dinner with all of them tomorrow at The Grille. Then, everybody will know that you're my boyfriend."

Her boyfriend smiled at her, and leaned across the table to share another kiss.

Ali sat back in her chair, taking hold of her coffee cup again. "After that, I'll be able to focus on getting my daughter back," she stated. She lifted her cup in the air, listening to the contents swish around inside. She raised the cup to her lips and took a swig of coffee.

Then, Alison smiled.

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**A/N:** Well, what does everybody think of the beginning of this story. Anybody have any ideas of who Alison's boyfriend is? I'll give you a hint: It's someone you already know from the show. I hope you all liked it, and I'm sorry I kept you all waiting for this sequel. Please review and tell me what you think. :)


	2. Introducing the Boyfriend

**A/N:** Thank you everybody who read and reviewed the first chapter. I'm so glad everybody liked it. This one of the fastest updates I've had, so I hope you all appreciate it. LOL! Here's the next chapter, I hope you all like it. :)

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**~ Chapter Two ~**

**~~ Introducing the Boyfriend ~~**

_**Emily, Spencer, Aria, Hanna, and Alison**_

Emily and Maya pulled up to The Grille on Friday night, with Molly and Mackenzie in the backseat. Alison had texted Emily and the others yesterday saying that she wanted to have a group dinner together. Ali had some news that she wanted to share with them, and Emily couldn't help but be curious. Had Alison gotten some information about her lost daughter, Isabella, but, no, it had only been a few days since Ali's announcement that she was getting her daughter back. Some things take time to happen. Emily stared straight ahead through the windshield at the glass windows of the restaurant.

Maya looked over at her from the passengers' seat. "Are you okay?" she asked Emily, softly.

Emily tore her gaze from the restaurant, turning towards the love of her life. "Yeah,...sometimes, it just hits me that Alison is really alive," she explained. "Like this dinner. We're all going to sit down together, eat, and talk, just like old times."

"I'm glad everything turned out perfectly, that you have your friend back," Maya replied, taking Emily's hand in her own. Emily smiled back at her.

"Look, I see Leslie!" Mackenzie pointed out her window to where Hanna and Caleb were walking up the sidewalk to the restaurant with their two daughters. "We get out now?"

"Ok, girls, but no running in the parking lot. We hold hands, okay?" Maya reminded them. The girls agreed, and unbuckled themselves from their car seats.

Emily started to get out of the car, but then stopped when she heard her voice mail beep with a new message. "Mmm, that's weird. I didn't even hear it ring," Emily muttered, pulling out her phone.

"Who is it?" Maya asked, getting Mackenzie out of the car and holding her hand.

Emily listened to the message, while opening the back door and helping Molly out of the car. She held on to her daughter as they walked around the car. She put her phone down from her ear and looked at Maya, confusedly. "That was Meredith, our social worker," Emily explained. "She wants us to call her when we get a chance."

Maya considered this for a moment, as they walked toward the building. "Maybe she wants to check in with us, check to see how the girls are doing," she guessed. "She did a lot for us with the adoption and everything. She's practically part of our family."

Emily nodded, but she wasn't fully convinced. However, she pushed it to the back of her mind to worry about later. This night was all about friends, fun, and love. She wasn't going to let anything ruin this night for her with her friends.

"Leslie!" Molly called out, waving at the two year old. The younger girl whipped around to see who was calling her. She locked her gaze on Molly and Mackenzie, smiled, and waved back enthusiastically.

The two groups met at the door of The Grille. Hanna placed Leslie on her feet, and the three little girls rushed into a great big hug. The adults greeted each other, smiling at their children. Caleb held open the door for the women with one hand, as he balanced Hailey's carrier in his other hand. They ushered the children in front of them when they walked inside, where the girls immediately shed their coats. Leslie only got about halfway before her zipper got stuck and she gave up.

"We like your dress, Leslie," Mackenzie commented. The twins passed their coats to Emily, and Hanna helped Leslie off with her coat. Leslie wore a long sleeve dress turquoise polka dot dress with a red bow at the waist of the ruffled skirt, and she wore red leggings underneath with a red headband in her hair. Leslie giggled shyly at the girls' compliment.

"We not wearing dresses today," Molly pointed out. The twins wore black and gray striped leggings and a black long sleeve shirt with silver, glittery stars on it.

"It looks like we're the first ones here," Emily noted, looking around the restaurant but not finding any of their other friends. She adjusted the twins' coats over one arm. They decided to find a table big enough to accommodate all of them, and sit and wait for the rest of their friends. Molly and Mackenzie chose their seats first, and Emily laid their coats on the back of their chairs. They wanted Leslie to sit between them, but they settled for Leslie just sitting next to one of them so that Hanna could sit on Leslie's other side.

"So, how is she settling in?" Emily asked, to make conversation while they waited for the others. She watched as Hanna settled Leslie into the booster seat. Caleb handed the three little girls each a kids menu and some crayons. Molly and Mackenzie tried to do the activities on the menu to the best of their ability, but Leslie just took a crayon and started scribbling all over the paper.

"Things have been going pretty smoothly," Hanna answered, smiling at Leslie. She was trying to make sense of what the twins were explaining to her. They were trying to explain connect-the-dots, but it wasn't working out too well. "Though, she has a bit of trouble at bedtime. She doesn't want sleep alone," Hanna finished.

"I sleep wit mommy and daddy!" Leslie added, happily, glancing up from drawing.

"You did?" Emily laughed. Leslie nodded, and then went back to coloring. "I'm sure she's still getting acclimated to her new surroundings," she assured Hanna. Then, she looked up towards the front windows. "Oh, here comes Aria."

The others turned and looked toward the windows. Aria, Ezra, and Liam were walking down the sidewalk to the main entrance to The Grille. Suddenly, they stopped and Liam said something to Aria. She hesitated, glancing up, then she looked back down at her son and nodded. Liam spun back around excitedly and ran a few feet back the way they had just come. Liam ran into someone's open arms, and the two spun in a circle in a hug. It was Jason Dilaurentis.

Hanna and Emily shared a look. "How awkward do you think this is going to be?" Emily whispered, not tearing her eyes away from the scene.

"I don't think there's a number high enough on that scale," Hanna whispered back, also glued to the scene.

"We shouldn't be staring," Emily stated. "It's awkward enough without having an audience." She turned away from the window to give her friend a bit more privacy.

Hanna turned away a second after Emily did. "You're right," she sighed. "I can't read their lips anyway."

"I gonna use red now," Molly and Mackenzie said at the same exact time, without planning it. Neither one of them acted like it was funny; they just reached for a red crayon without looking at each other.

Leslie watched the two of them, her own crayon poised in the air. Then, she quickly switched it for the red one. "Me too," she said.

A couple more minutes passed before Aria and Ezra entered the restaurant. Liam was in high spirits as he came in behind Aria and Ezra, he was practically skipping. He seemed happy about seeing the man that was his father figure for most of his life. They approached the table with greetings on their lips. Liam slid into a chair across from the twins, taking off his coat and placing it on the back of his chair. Instead of doing the activities on his own kid menu, he flipped the paper over and began drawing his own picture on the back.

Ezra went over to sit by Caleb, who was using his foot to rock Hailey in her carrier gently, causing her to smile. Aria stayed near Emily and Hanna.

"So,..uh...we saw Jason outside," Emily said, hesitatingly. "How was it, seeing him again?"

Aria bit her lip, lowering herself slowly into a seat across from her friends. "You guys saw that, huh?" she mumbled.

"Yeah, but we didn't hear anything," Hanna clarified, then added, "Next time, you should open your mouth wider so that we know what you're saying-" She stopped when Emily nudged her with her elbow. "What?" Hanna said.

Aria hid a small smile. "It was actually kind of fine," she told her friends. "Liam wanted to talk to Jason for a couple minutes, he hadn't seen him in a while. I didn't really get to talk to him."

"He didn't look too good," Hanna pointed out.

"Hanna!" Emily scolded, under her breath. Hanna looked at her innocently again.

"I know," Aria whispered, looking down at the table. She ran her index finger around languidly in a circle on the tabletop. "I don't even know how Ezra felt about Liam talking to Jason."

Emily came around the table, and pulled Aria into a comforting hug. "It will be okay," she reassured her friend. Aria glanced over Emily's shoulder, seeing Ezra watching her. He mouthed 'are you okay', and she gave him a nod in answer.

Suddenly, the three little girls burst out laughing. They looked to see what they were laughing out, and saw Liam with two crayons sticking out of his mouth like he was a walrus or another animal like that.

"Liam, no, take those out of your mouth," Aria chastised him. Liam dropped the crayons onto the table, still laughing with the girls.

"He silly," Molly giggled, and Mackenzie agreed.

Leslie started to mimic Liam's actions, but Hanna stopped her before she could stick the crayons in her mouth. "Don't do that, that's yucky," she told her daughter. Leslie grinned, sticking her tongue out at her mommy. Hanna smiled, and nuzzled noses with her.

Right about then, Spencer and Toby arrived, each carrying a child. They could hear Tyler's voice from all the way over at the table, his little voice going about a mile a minute.

"What is he so excited about?" Aria asked, when they had gotten closer. Tyler was still going on about something almost sounding like nonsense.

"Oh, he saw a family of ducks crossing the street and now he can't stop talking about it," Spencer explained with a smile at her son, setting Eliza down.

"How much can a three year old talk about a bunch of ducks," Aria laughed.

"I believe he's giving them all life stories," Spencer laughed, too. She sat down next to Aria, pulling Eliza over closer to her.

"...da little duckie run 'cause he being left behind," Tyler was still telling his story as Toby started putting him in the booster seat next to Mackenzie. "And den-no, wait, I sit over there wit him!" Tyler interrupted himself, pointing to the seat next to Liam. Toby lifted him back out of the seat, and carried him around to the other side of table. He settled Tyler in his seat, wrestled Tyler's coat off of him, and then sat down in the chair beside his son.

"Hey, we're almost like twins," Liam said to Tyler, pointing to their similar shirts. They both wore long-sleeve striped shirts, but Liam's was black-and-gray-and-maroon and Tyler's was turquoise-and-yellow-green.

Tyler stared at him, then agreed, "Yeah!"

"Nuh-uh, you not twins," Mackenzie argued.

"Yeah, me and Kenzie are twins, 'cause we look da same, not just our clothes," Molly added. She and Mackenzie shared a mirror smiles.

"I was just joking, jeez," Liam told them, leaning his chin in his hand and going back to his picture.

Tyler watched him, then turned to his own sheet. "I dunno how to do this," he whined.

"Here, I'll show you," Liam leaned over and started helping the younger boy with the activities.

"...And how is this little one is doing?" Aria was saying, leaning down looking at Eliza. She tickled Eliza's belly softly. "You are so cute!" she cooed to the baby.

"I think she gets cuter everyday," Spencer admired Eliza with a smile. "But she's very tiring."

"Is she sleeping through the night?" Aria asked.

"No, not all the way. She hasn't grasped the concept that the sun means it's time to wake up," Spencer answered. Eliza started fussing, so Spencer took her out of the car seat and settled the baby on her lap.

"Well, you're causing trouble already, aren't you?" Aria teased the little baby, tickling her neck. Eliza laughed, swinging her hands around.

A few more minutes passed, and Ali still hadn't arrived with her mysterious date. This dinner party was all Alison's idea. She had said she wanted them all to get together and introduce her new boyfriend to them. It surprised them that Ali wasn't here yet, but it was just like her to want to make a grand entrance. They waited another minute, then they decided to place their drink orders and food for the kids, before they got restless and ornery.

The waitress brought the drinks out, and chaos nearly ensued. Molly and Mackenzie marveled at their plastic cups with a lids, looking at the pictures printed on the cups. Leslie wanted a sip from _everybody's _cup, and Tyler whined and complained about why he couldn't have a big boy cup like Liam. So, they were all pretty busy that they didn't hear anybody approach the table.

"Hello, ladies, look at who I have here," that tinkling voice that they all know so well sang out.

They all turned and saw Alison standing there looking perfect, her hand on her hip and her other hand threaded through the arm of the man standing next to her. The girls did a double take just to believe that the man standing next to their friend was actually the one they were seeing. He was tall, dark haired, and tan skinned.

Noel Kahn.

"See, I told you they'd be speechless," Ali smiled up at her boyfriend.

"Well, you're always right," Noel smirked, leaning down closer to her. They kissed passionately, and the girls looked away awkwardly. Ali and Noel eventually pulled apart, and Ali slid into the seat beside Spencer and across from Emily. Noel went to sit with the guys, with a grin plastered to his face.

"Ali, how did this happen?" Hanna asked, not one for subtlety.

Alison grinned. "Well, he came to visit me in the hospital, and we just...connected," she explained. She gazed fondly at Noel across the table. "We've been inseparable ever since."

There was a couple seconds of silence. Emily broke it first. "Then, we're happy for you," she said, flashing Ali a smile. The other girls agreed.

"Good, now let's celebrate everyone being here together," Alison said. They all raised their glasses and toasted love and friendship, the glasses clinking together. The children laughed as they mimicked their parents.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The night rolled on, with easy conversation and laughs. The girls slowly got used to Ali and Noel together, their flirtatious glances and other stuff like that. The outing was winding down, as the kids were finishing up their desserts. Molly and Mackenzie shared a banana split, though they did have a mini fight over the odd cherry. Tyler ate his chocolate ice cream sundae without holding back, seeing as half of it was all over his face. Liam also had the same sundae, and he ate it while finishing up the drawing he'd been working on throughout the evening. Leslie had a strawberry sundae, sitting on Caleb's lap and she shared it with him.

Hanna walked over and sat down beside Caleb and Leslie. "Is it good?" she asked Leslie. She pushed some of Leslie's hair back out of her face.

Leslie nodded, and held out a spoonful of ice cream to her mommy. "Want some?" Leslie said, around a mouthful of ice cream. Hanna declined the offer with a smile. Leslie turned to Caleb. "Daddy will eat it," she said, and put the almost dripping spoon to Caleb's mouth. He opened his mouth big, and Leslie fed him the ice cream.

Leslie only ate a couple more spoonfuls and then she was done. Hanna cleaned her up from her ice cream, sticky goodness. Then, she let out a big yawn. "You ready to go to sleep?" Hanna asked her, softly. Leslie lay back against Caleb, rubbing her eyes tiredly. She nodded.

"Are you going to sleep in your own bed tonight?" Caleb asked her, looking down at her.

Leslie shook her head, vehemently, like she was scared of something. "I sleep wit you, pweassse!" she whimpered.

Hanna and Caleb looked at each other, hoping that this was just a phase and not something worse. "Ok," Hanna relented. "One more night." Leslie smiled with relief, continuing to lay on her daddy.

Liam finished his sundae, and wiped his face and hands with his napkin. He slipped out of his chair, taking his drawing in his hand. He walked around the table to Ezra. "Daddy?" Liam slid in next to Ezra.

"What's up, buddy?" Ezra wondered, turning to look at his son.

"Wanna see what I drawed?" Liam replied, holding his paper with both hands.

"Sure," Ezra smiled at him. Liam placed the paper on the table, smoothing it out proudly. Ezra leaned in to look at it. "It's very good. Who are all these people?" he asked, motioning to the stick figures in the drawing.

"That's me, that's you, that's mommy," Liam explained, pointing to each person. Then, he got to the last one. "And that's Jason. We're a big family, right?" Liam didn't look at Ezra for an answer, because he wasn't expecting one. He doesn't think of no as an answer.

Ezra couldn't correct Liam. He nodded his head slowly, not finding the words to speak. How could he deny his son the man who he had grown up with for the past six years? No matter his feelings, Jason was a huge part of Liam's life, and he was going to have get used to that. But he wasn't going to lie, seeing Liam run into Jason's arms hurt him. Ezra put his arm around Liam, staying quiet. Liam was what truly mattered, and he was happy right now. The rest will fade in time. Maybe.

* * *

**A/N:** What did you all think? I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, because from here on out, it's going to get tough. Please leave feedback and tell me what you all thought. I love reading all of your lovely reviews :)


	3. Enrique Santos

**A/N:** Thank you to everybody who read and reviewed the last chapter. I truly appreciate all the support I'm getting for this story. Thank you so much. Sorry it took longer than expected. Here's the next chapter; enjoy :)

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**~ Chapter Three ~**

**~~ Enrique Santos ~~**

_**Emily**_

"Mackenzie, come in here and finish your lunch, please," Emily called to her daughter, as she cleaned up the kitchen after making the girls' lunches. Molly sat at the table, finishing her apple slices. She chomped on it like a horse, some juice running down her chin.

"I watching TV!" Mackenzie called back, from the living room.

"No, Kenzie, you need to come here and finish your lunch," Emily told her. "You wanted this apple." She tried to keep her voice level and not raise it any louder, but it had been a long morning. It was pushing past noon, and on towards the girls' nap time. At least, Emily hoped that they'll take a nap today. The twins were at that age where they were starting to outgrow naps. It is usually hit-or-miss on whether or not they take a nap that day. Emily didn't hear Mackenzie argue back, so she assumed Kenzie was coming.

Sure enough, the taller twin appeared in the kitchen and walked over to her place at the table. Her apple was still sitting on her plate with one bite mark in it. She touched it with the tip of her finger, it rolled an inch and then back. Kenzie whined, "I wan' it cut!"

Emily wiped her hands on a dishcloth. "Ok, ok, sit down," she said. She took a knife out of the drawer, and came over to the table. She cut the apple expertly into slices, while Molly finished her apple. Molly slid out of her chair, chewing the last bit of apple. "Ok, Mol, go over to the sink and wash your hands," Emily instructed her other daughter.

"Okay," Molly chirped. She skipped over to the sink, and dragged their Disney princess step stool over as well. She stepped up, then stood on her tiptoes and leaned over the sink, just managing to turn the faucet on.

Emily finished cutting Kenzie's apple, and stood up, coming over to put the knife in the dishwasher. "Good job," she praised Molly. She turned off the water and handed Molly a paper towel to dry her hands off. She then tossed it in the trash, skipping back over to her sister.

"What are you watching?" Molly asked.

"Rugrats," Kenzie told her sister, biting into an apple slice.

"I go watch and I tell you what happens," Molly offered. Mackenzie nodded as Molly turned and started to leave the room. Though her sister said she'd tell her what happens, Kenzie still started to eat faster.

Emily started following after Molly. "Molly, I want you to help me clean up while you watch TV," she was saying to the four year old. Before Emily completely left the room, she added to Mackenzie, "Kenzie, don't shove your food in your mouth."

Emily walked into the living room, and sighed at the sight of the mess of toys and clothes everywhere. Molly stood in front of the television, watching the cartoon. "C'mon, Molly, help me," she encouraged the little girl. "Gather your toys together and then you can take them to your room when a commercial comes on."

Molly knelt down to the floor and scooped some of the Barbie dolls together, all while not taking her eyes off of the TV. Emily picked up the girls' sweaters lying precariously on the floor. "Girls, I told you not to leave your sweaters on the floor," Emily reminded them. She picked up the sweaters, lying them over her arm, and moved on to the next items.

A commercial came on, and Molly jumped up with the dolls in her hands, running to her room. "Don't just dump them on the floor, put them away!" Emily called to Molly. She picked up the girls' coats.

"Mommy, I'm all done," Mackenzie announced from the doorway between the kitchen and the living room. "And I washed my hands!" She waved her hands around, showing how clean they are.

"Good job," Emily praised her. "Now, can you help us clean up? There's still some toys on the floor." She hung the coats on the rack by the door.

"Ok," Mackenzie smiled, walking over to pick up some toys. She stopped, however, when a commercial on the television caught her attention. Kenzie started pointing excitedly. "Mommy, mommy, look! Disney World!" the little girl exclaimed.

Emily looked at the TV, Kenzie's excitement rubbing off on her. "Yeah, I see it. It looks magical, doesn't it?" Mackenzie nodded, watching Mickey Mouse and all of the Disney princesses. Emily walked over and put her hand on Kenzie's shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll take both of you one day soon," she told her daughter.

"Promise?" Kenzie asked, spinning around and looking up at her mommy. Her expressive chocolate brown eyes glittered with excitement.

"I promise," Emily grinned at her. Mackenzie threw her arms around her in a tight hug. The only thing that could interrupt the moment was the ringing of the doorbell. They pulled apart, and Emily handed Kenzie the two sweaters she was still holding. "Can you take these to your room, and I'm going to see who's at the door."

Mackenzie took the sweaters happily and skipped off to hers and her sister's room. Emily turned to the door and the person waiting outside. She opened the front door, and instantly recognized the person standing in front of her.

"Meredith, hi," Emily greeted, with a smile. Meredith was the social worker who had orchestrated the twins' whole adoption. Needless to say, she had became a very good friend of the family. Meredith was a tall woman with her auburn hair pulled back into a neat bun and was very professional looking in a navy blue pantsuit and pink blouse. She held a brown suede briefcase in her hand. "Please, come in." Emily stepped back. "How are you?"

"I'm doing good," Meredith replied, stepping into the house. "But, I honestly thought I would have heard from you or Maya sooner."

"Yeah, I know, I'm sorry," Emily apologized. "We got your message and we meant to call you back. But things have been so hectic and time just got away from us."

"Oh, I completely understand," Meredith assured her. "I've been busy myself. I'm actually finalizing another child's adoption today, but I had some time free now. I really needed to speak to the two of you."

"Well, Maya is out doing some grocery shopping," Emily explained. "The girls are good helpers, but it's easier to shop without four extra arms grabbing everything in sight."

"Those twins are so sweet and adorable," Meredith admired, "I'm glad that they found a loving home with you and Maya. Which is, unfortunately, what I wanted to speak to you about."

"Well, have a seat. Can I get you anything?" Emily offered. She spoke with a smile, but she felt a gnawing feeling deep down in her stomach. Something was wrong.

"No, I'm fine," Meredith declined, taking a seat on the couch.

Emily nodded, and lowered herself down into a chair. She took a deep breath to calm herself, wiping her palms on her jeans. "So,...what is this about?" she asked, reluctantly.

Meredith placed her briefcase down by her high-heeled-clad feet, then clasped her hands together on her lap. "I really wish I was here for a social visit, unfortunately, that's not the case," she began her explanation. Emily braced herself. "A couple days ago, my office received a call from the lawyer of an Enrique Santos. The man is looking for his twin daughters, he said they would be about three or four years old by now."

Emily felt like someone had let the air out of her tires. She could barely comprehend what was happening right now. "So,...um,..what does this Enrique Santos want?" Emily questioned. "How do we know that he's my girls' biological father?"

"He is listed as the father on the twins' birth certificates, but you can order a DNA test to confirm it," Meredith explained. "The lawyer didn't say much about Mr. Santos' intentions, just that he wished to get in touch with the girls' adoptive parents. He gave us his number for you and Maya to get in touch with him."

"So, what? He's going to try to take the girls away from us?" Emily blurted out.

Meredith shrugged apologetically, having no real answer. A silence fell as Emily digested this new information. She couldn't imagine not having Molly and Mackenzie in her life, it wasn't even a possibility. But what else could Enrique want, besides wanting his daughters back?

Breaking the silence and the tension, Molly and Mackenzie trudged into the living room. They stood on either side of Emily, looking at the guest and trying to figure out if they knew her. "Girls, do you remember Meredith?" Emily introduced Meredith to the twins, in monotone voice. The twins didn't notice, though. "She's the one who brought you to mommy and me."

The girls waved shyly, leaning against the chair. After waving, Molly hid her face in Emily's lap with a shy giggle. Mackenzie studied Meredith with a shy smile.

"You girls are getting so big," Meredith smiled at them, warmly. "I'm so glad to see that you're not sick anymore, Mackenzie."

"Me, too," Kenzie said. Then, she turned to Emily and pointed at Meredith as she spoke, "She made us a family?"

"Yeah, she did," Emily said, feeling a rise of emotion at Kenzie's statement. She stroked Kenzie's wavy dark hair.

Mackenzie looked back at Meredith. "Thank you," she said. Emily almost burst out into sobs, but instead she just pulled them close to her. Meredith just watched them, feeling sad that she had to bring such bad news.

Later that evening, after a quiet dinner, Molly and Mackenzie played quietly in their room before bath time and bed. Emily and Maya sat on the couch together in the living room, talking about this new situation. They held hands and took turns reassuring each other that everything was going to be okay.

"So, after Meredith left and the girls went down for a nap, I called Spencer just for some advice," Emily said, looking down at the floor at the spot where their Christmas tree had left a small mark. "She said she'll call Enrique's lawyer and see if she can find out anything."

"And did she?" Maya asked, softly.

"Yeah," Emily replied. She took a deep breath before continuing. "The lawyer said that Enrique has a court hearing with a judge next week to try to reinstate his parental rights."

"He can do that?" Maya repeated, wanting to have all the correct information, yet still hardly believing that this was really happening.

Emily nodded. "He also said that Enrique would like you and me to be in attendance as well. Spencer said that she would come with us. I know she's busy with the baby and everything, but she insisted."

"He wants us to be there to have a front row seat to watch him take our daughters away from us," Maya muttered. "I think it's a good idea to have Spencer go with us, as long as she's willing. We can learn a lot about what we're going up against at this hearing." She squeezed Emily's hand in reassurance.

Emily squeezed Maya's hand back, too. "We're not giving them up without a fight," Emily stated, managing a small, brave smile.

"Not at all," Maya agreed. She leaned in and gave Emily a light kiss on the lips, before they just cuddled together on the couch. They felt a little bit better about what was going to happen, if not all the way. Emily and Maya stayed on the couch together, until they had to get _their_ daughters ready for bed.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The week passed by in a blur, but Emily and Maya didn't take any small moments of happiness that came by for granted. They already knew each day was special, Mackenzie's illness had taught them that. Before they knew it, it was the day of Enrique's court hearing. Emily and Maya dressed in their best clothes and made their way to the courthouse, after dropping Molly and Mackenzie off with Hanna and Caleb. They waited for Spencer in the lobby of the courthouse. Luckily, they didn't have to wait long before they saw the brunette enter the building.

"Wow, you look exhausted," Emily half-joked, as Spencer walked up to them. It was true that Spencer did look tired, no matter how she tried to cover it up.

"Well, good morning to you, too," Spencer joked back. "I had a rough night last night. Tyler was up all night throwing up, and, since he's sick, we have to make sure he stays away from Eliza."

"Aww, poor little guy, I hope he feels better soon," Emily said, as they began walking to the elevator. "We really do appreciate you helping us out, I know how busy you are with the baby and now Tyler's sick..."

"Em, I want to help you," Spencer reassured her, placing her hand on Emily's arm. "I'm not going to let them take your daughters away, if I can help it." Emily smiled gratefully at her friend. The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open with a low grinding noise. The three of them stepped onto it and headed toward the third floor, where Enrique's hearing was being held.

They rode the elevator in silence for a couple of seconds. Maya was the first to speak. "So, Enrique is doing this to get his parental rights back. What happens if the judge grants it?" Maya asked Spencer.

"Yeah, are we just supposed to hand the girls over or what?" Emily added.

"It all varies with different cases," Spencer started to explain. "In this case, it would be really doubtful if the judge orders the girls' removal from your care. Enrique has not been a presence in their life. They always look to what is best for the children, and it would not be in the twins' best interest right now to be taken away from you. If the judge reinstates Enrique's parental rights, one of two things could happen. At best, Enrique could only want to visit with them, without taking them away from you. At worst, that's exactly what he could do."

"Eventually?" Emily whispered, not able to bare the thought of Molly and Mackenzie being taken away from her and Maya.

Spencer nodded, sadly, "Eventually." They all grew quiet again.

The elevator stopped and dinged, the doors sliding open with that same grinding noise. The three of them stepped out into a quiet corridor, branching off into two hallways. They went down the one of the left, their shoes clicking the floor. There were only two people about halfway down the hall, waiting outside a door. They were two men, one was standing against the wall and the other was pacing. As they grew closer, Emily and Maya got apprehensive, because it appeared that they were about to meet their daughters' biological father, seeing that it appeared the men were standing outside the room they were heading toward.

The two men were obviously lawyer and client. Enrique's lawyer turned out to be Andrew Campbell. Spencer didn't seem surprised to see him, considering she had spoken to him on the phone last week. Andrew leaned against the wall, going over the case file. The other man had jet black hair cut short, which was still damp and combed back neatly. His tan skin contrasted with the white shirt he wore, paired with a gray striped tie and black pants. He paced back and forth, his hands clasped behind his back. Enrique Santos, the twins' birth father.

Emily and Maya nearly stopped as they recognized similarities between their daughters and the man who took part in creating them. He had the same dimple in his left cheek as the girls, and they could see his mouth set in the same line that Mackenzie does when she gets stubborn. It was almost too much to take in. When Enrique obviously felt someone watching him and stopped pacing, he looked straight at Emily and Maya. Recognition dawned in his eyes, as he realized that he was looking at his daughters' adoptive parents. Emily almost turned and ran right there, ready to take her girls far away. Enrique opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the courtroom door opening.

A petite woman peeked out of the door. "We're ready for you, Mr. Santos," the woman said.

Enrique closed his mouth, and followed behind Andrew. He swallowed loudly, nervously. Andrew nodded at Spencer with a grin, acknowledging her, before they disappeared inside the courtroom. Spencer turned toward Emily and Maya. "Ready?" she asked them.

They both nodded. Emily took a deep breath before walking into the room. Inside the courtroom, Emily, Maya, and Spencer slid into the last bench seat in the back, silently. Enrique and Andrew took a seat at the table in the front of the judge's table. Andrew was murmuring to Enrique, probably about the case. It was only about a minute before the bailiff called the room to order.

"Everyone rise for the Honorable Judge Stevens!"

They rose to their feet, and a middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair walked out from his chambers, wearing the traditional black judge's robe. He took his seat, then allowed the others to do the same. Judge Stevens slid his rectangular glasses onto his nose, and looked down at the paper in front of him.

"We are here today for the reinstatement of parental rights of Enrique Santos, for the twins Molly Louisa St. Germaine-Fields and Mackenzie Ana St. Germaine-Fields," Judge Stevens stated to the court. He peered over his glasses. "Mr. Santos, are you present?"

Enrique stood up quickly, his chair scraping the floor noisily and he smoothed down his tie with his hand. "Yes, your honor," he replied.

Judge Stevens glanced down at the paper again, and then back up at Enrique. "I see here that you were not married to the birth mother, Sasha Maria Rivera, and that, at the time of the children's birth, you were in prison for a DUI and vehicular homicide." he read.

Emily and Maya stifled their shocked gasps with their hands. "Yes, your honor," Enrique repeated, hanging his head in shame, his hands clasped together in front of him.

"Miss Rivera died from complications during childbirth, but, before that time, she was able to give guardianship of the children to her mother, Antonia Lupe' Rivera," the judge continued to read. Emily saw Enrique flinch at the mention of Sasha's death. "About three years later, Ms. Rivera was no longer able to care for the children and decided to put them up for adoption. At that time, Mr. Santos, you had served your time in prison and were then completing a year in a rehab facility to gain your sobriety. Under the circumstances, the court agreed to allow Ms. Rivera the right to terminate your rights to the children without your input. This allowed the children to be adopted by Emily and Maya St. Germaine-Fields."

Andrew stood in defense of his client. "Your honor, my client completed everything the court had placed in front of him," he defended, "He is extremely remorseful of his past actions. A grave injustice was done to him when his children were given away without his knowledge. All he wants is chance to rectify his mistakes. I implore that you allow him to do that." Andrew nodded at the judge.

Judge Stevens processed everything. "I understand that Mr. Santos was unaware of anything regarding his children, and has done everything in his power to stay sober and out of trouble," Judge Stevens announced. "So, I agree to reinstate Mr. Santos' parental rights."

Enrique breathed out a sigh of relief, a smile spreading across his face. He nodded his thanks to the judge. Emily and Maya felt their hearts begin to drop, but then the judge continued.

"But I also understand that the children has had no contact with their birth father, and so it would be harmful to remove them from the home they know," Judge Stevens decreed. "I declare that the custody of Molly Louisa St. Germaine-Fields and Mackenzie Ana St. Germaine-Fields will remain with their adoptive parents. For now."

Emily and Maya felt so relieved that they weren't losing their daughters. Yet. They squeezed each other's hands, grinning. Spencer congratulated them quietly.

"I will set another hearing for February 20th, where the two parties will negotiate an appropriate custody arrangement," Judge Stevens continued. "If no such agreement can be made, the decision will fall to me." He banged his gavel on the desk. "Court is dismissed." The judge gathered his things together, and exited the room.

Spencer, Emily, and Maya stood up, sliding out of the row into the main aisle. "Well, that was somewhat positive," Spencer replied. "Everything was just like I said." Then, she looked longingly at her phone. "I'm going to call Toby real quick. I think Eliza is coming down with a cough. Toby says I'm hearing things, but, I don't know..." She smiled sheepishly at her friends. "I'll meet you outside."

Emily and Maya urged her to make the call, smiling at her protectiveness. They watched Spencer leave, and then turned to each other. "Maybe we'll get lucky and he won't fight for a lot of time with the girls," Maya commented. Emily nodded, her gaze sliding over to Enrique, who walking over to them purposely. Within three strides, the man was right in front of them.

"Hello," Enrique greeted, in a Spanish-accented voice. "I just wanted to thank you for coming. I wanted you here as a show of good faith, to show you that I appreciate everything you have done for my daughters."

Emily raised her chin. "_Our_ daughters," she corrected, indicating herself and Maya.

Enrique didn't say anything. He gave a short, quick nod, but his eyes told them that he disagreed with their last statement. They leveled their gaze on his, ready for the challenge. Having the last word, Emily and Maya walked away first. Enrique took a few steps after them, pausing in the doorway. He watched them holding hands, going home to _his _daughters. Enrique pulled an old, bent photograph out of his pocket and looked at it. He traced his finger along the woman in the photo. She had the same olive skin tone as Molly and Mackenzie, the same dark brown hair cascading down in waves over one shoulder. She sat on a porch in the sun, her legs extended out in front of her and her hands cupping her pregnant belly, smiling broadly.

Enrique felt his eyes mist over with unshed tears, just gazing at her. "I'll get our daughters back, Sasha," he promised, a light whisper. "_Para ti, mi angel. Siempre para ti._"

* * *

**A/N:** Well, what do you think? I know, it's a lot to take in. Will Emaya be able to keep their daughters? Please review and show my your reactions. :)


	4. Spencer's Secret

**A/N:** Thank you, again, to everybody who read and reviewed the last chapter. I told you all that things were going to get tough in this story; let's see what else is going to happen. Muhahaha! Here's the next chapter; enjoy!

* * *

**~ Chapter Four ~**

**~~ Spencer's Secret ~~**

_**Spencer**_

The baby cooed and laughed, kicking her arms and legs as she was freed from her pajamas. Spencer smiled at her baby daughter, as she changed her dirty diaper. She cleaned her up, with a little difficulty because Eliza kept squirming. When she was done, Spencer leaned down and blew kisses on Eliza's belly. The baby smiled wide excitedly, and her flailing hand grasped a handful of Spencer's hair. Spencer carefully dislodged Eliza's hand, kissing her cheek after she was done.

"You're a silly little girl," Spencer baby-talked to her, smoothing down Eliza's dark fuzz of hair. She dressed her daughter in a white onesie, then slid a pair of pink polka-dotted pants over top. She lifted the baby up, holding her out in front of her. Eliza's toes touched the top of the changing table, and then she curled her legs back up.

Eliza let out a string of babbling nonsense, some spittle collecting on her lips. Spencer laughed, and pulled her baby against her chest, laying Eliza's head against her shoulder. She kissed Eliza's temple several times. "I love you so much, baby girl," she murmured, rocking her a little. She threw the soiled diaper in the trash, and tossed the pajamas into the hamper. Spencer still cradled Eliza against her as she turned around, spotting Tyler standing in the doorway.

"Hi, mommy," Tyler croaked out, rubbing his eye. He wore mismatched Scooby-Doo and dinosaur pajamas, because he had thrown up a little during the night and hadn't made it to the trash can. He put his hands over his face and coughed loudly.

"Hi, baby, did you wake up?" Spencer asked him, soothingly. Tyler nodded mutely, still looking a little miserable. "I told you I didn't want you coming in here. I don't want you to get your sister sick," she reminded him. With Tyler sick, Spencer was extra nervous with Eliza since she's a preemie. She laid Eliza down in her crib, picked up the baby monitor, and walked over to Tyler.

"Do you want something to eat?" Spencer asked him, softly.

Tyler shook his head, and put his arms up in the air, wanting to be picked up. Spencer picked him up, settling him on her hip. "I watch Little Foot," Tyler whimpered, talking about the animated classic, 'The Land Before Time'.

"Ok, but you have to eat something," Spencer told him, soothingly. "I'll make you some toast, alright?" Tyler didn't say anything; he just laid his head down on Spencer's shoulder, his arms dangling listlessly. Spencer sympathized with him, kissing his head. She hated seeing him like this.

She started walking with him to his bedroom, until he started whining again. "No, you room! You room!" Tyler exclaimed.

"Ok, ok, I have to get the movie first," Spencer reminded him. She walked into Tyler's bedroom, and got the DVD out of the player. She did it one-handed, because Tyler refused to get down. With the movie in hand, Spencer brought Tyler to her bedroom. She placed the little boy on the bed and he crawled up to the head of the bed, slipping underneath the blankets. Spencer started to put the movie in the DVD player.

"Where daddy?" Tyler asked, from deep within the confines of the pillow and blanket.

Spencer pressed play, and then walked over to Tyler's side, sitting down on the bed. "Daddy had to go to work, but he'll be back later," she explained to him.

Tyler continued to whine, "I want him here!"

"I know," Spencer murmured, stroking his hair. To distract him, she pointed toward the television. "Wow, look at all the dinosaurs!" It worked a little bit. Tyler turned his attention to the movie, lying there quietly. Spencer got up to get Tyler his toast, and, as she walked out the door, Tyler giggled, starting to sound a little like his old self.

When Spencer came back upstairs, she peeked in on Eliza real quick. The baby was still lying in her crib on her back, happily trying to reach for her butterfly mobile. Satisfied that Eliza was still happy, Spencer went back to her bedroom to Tyler. Tyler was now sitting up, watching his movie more enthusiastically and laughing.

"That's what I like to see," Spencer smiled. "Here's your toast and some juice." She handed Tyler the plate carefully and placed his sippy cup on the nightstand.

"Mommy, look, Little Foot and his friends are looking for water, for a' rest of da dinosaurs," Tyler said, happily. He's seen this movie a hundred times, but he hasn't gotten tired of it yet.

"Cool," Spencer commented, glancing at the TV screen then back at her son. "Ok, you watch your movie. I have some work I have-" She started to reach for Eliza's baby monitor and leave the room.

"Noooo!" Tyler started to cry. "Stay wit me! Watch!" He dropped the piece of toast he was holding in his hand back onto his plate.

"Ty, baby, I have some work to do for Aunt Emily," Spencer tried to tell him. Tyler's cries started to get louder, and Spencer worried that he was going to disturb Eliza. His blue eyes were watery, and then he began coughing from getting hysterical. Spencer sat back down on the bed. "Ok, ok, calm down," she reassured him. "I'll stay with you for a little bit." She stretched out a bit on the bed and put her arm around him, and Tyler snuggled up next to her.

It was probably about an hour later when Spencer jolted awake at the sound of crying coming through the baby monitor. She picked her head up groggily, looking at the digital clock on the nightstand. It was just about noon; Eliza was probably ready for her bottle. The end credits of the movie rolled by on the television, a child's song chorusing in the background. Spencer started to sit up, then realized that she couldn't. Tyler was laying on top of her, fast asleep. She picked him up, careful not to wake him, and laid him back on the bed, tucking the blanket around him.

Spencer stood up, turning the volume on the baby monitor down a little bit so that it didn't wake Tyler up. She turned the movie off as she left the room. Spencer walked down the hall to the nursery, feeling not as refreshed as she would have liked after that little catnap. She entered the room and couldn't hold back her smile when Eliza turned her head at the sound of the door opening, saw Spencer, and started reaching out for her mommy.

Spencer lifted Eliza out of the crib, soothing her cries. "You ready to eat, little peanut," Spencer cooed, using Toby's nickname for her. Spencer carried Eliza downstairs to the kitchen to make her a bottle. As she warmed the bottle up, she sat on a stool at the island with the baby and checked her phone while she waited. She found that she had two missed text messages from Toby, they must have come when she was napping with Tyler.

The first one he simply asked how everyone was doing. The second one read that he was getting off of work early, so that he could come home to help her. She smiled to herself over his generosity, feeling her heart burst with love for him. She typed out a new text to Toby to let him know that she got his messages. She told him that Tyler was sleeping and snapped a photo of Eliza waiting for her bottle. The photo was cute, because Eliza was stretching and it looked like she was waving at her daddy.

By the time she sent the message, Eliza's bottle was ready. Spencer retrieved the bottle and moved to the living room. She settled herself on the couch and fed Eliza her lunch, watching television aimlessly. Eliza sucked on the bottle hungrily, while Spencer smiled down at her adoringly. When she had sucked down at least half the bottle, Spencer set the bottle down on the table despite Eliza's cry of protest. She placed a dry cloth over her shoulder and held Eliza up against her, beginning to burp her. It took a couple minutes for the baby to produce a burp, and then she was ready for the rest of her bottle.

Spencer didn't hear anyone come in, but, as she put the bottle to Eliza's lips, the baby didn't take it right away. Her brown eyes, just like her mother's, cut to the left, just barely focusing on something. Spencer wouldn't have thought anything of it, except that Eliza let a small giggle and began waving her hands. Spencer looked over her shoulder, and saw Toby coming up behind her. Spencer smiled and Toby smiled back at her when he saw her looking.

"You know won't be able to sneak up on me anymore," Spencer teased him. "They both give you away."

"I'll just keep trying," Toby murmured, just before he bent over and captured her lips in a kiss. They kissed passionately, his hands coming up to cup her neck. The heat blistered between them, as their lips moved in synchronicity. Spencer didn't want it to end, but Toby pulled his mouth away, touching his forehead to hers. He smirked at the small moan that escaped Spencer's pink lips when the kiss ended.

"I think our little peanut is waiting for the rest of her bottle," Toby whispered.

Spencer had to pull her gaze away from his hypnotic, blue one, looking down at their daughter still in her arms. Eliza stared back up at them quietly, some leftover milk pooling on her pursed lips. "I'm sorry about that, sweetie," Spencer murmured to the baby. "Daddy can be a little distracting." She smiled up at Toby.

Toby smiled back at her. "Here, I'll feed her the rest of the bottle, so you can have a break," he offered. Toby slipped his hands underneath his daughter, ready to take her.

Spencer handed Eliza over into Toby's waiting arms, gently. "If you're sure,...there's still some work I want to finish for Emily," Spencer said, standing up as Toby sat down on the couch in her place. "I still think our best bet is to try and make Enrique see reason and willingly sign away his rights. It could be damaging to take those twins away from Emily and Maya now."

"Spence,..." Toby replied, giving his wife a look. He picked up the baby bottle from the table. "I glad you're helping Emily, I don't want her to lose the twins either, but you need to take some time for yourself, have some time to rest."

"I will," Spencer grinned, reveling in his protectiveness. She leaned down and pecked his lips, lingering there, savoring his taste. She reluctantly pulled away, and kissed Eliza on her head. Then, she walked away down the hall to her home office, while Toby fed Eliza the rest of her bottle, talking to her.

Spencer entered her office, closing the door behind her. She exhaled a breathy sigh, and then walked around to her desk, glancing at the file of papers pertaining to Emily's case. She dropped down into her swivel chair with another sigh, leaning her elbows on the desk. She rubbed her temples with her fingers in a circle, feeling her exhaustion catching up with her again. She needed to get this work done, but she wasn't going to do that with tired eyes.

Glancing at the closed door first, she looked down at the drawer on the right side of the desk. She hesitated for a second, then pulled the drawer open. She reached inside, automatically gripping a small cylinder in her hand. Spencer pulled her hand back out, revealing an unmarked prescription bottle. She gazed upon it, knowing the pleasure of taking what was inside.

Before she could open the prescription bottle, though, the doorknob began turning and she heard her husband's voice. She quickly dropped the bottle back in the drawer, pushing it shut. She opened up Emily's case file, pretending like she had been doing that the whole time.

"Hey, Spence, Eliza's asleep. I'm going to go put her in her crib," Toby said, softly, peeking around the door. "Ty's looking for his blankie. Do you know where it is?"

"Uh, yeah," Spencer replied, a little nervously. "It should be in that mess he calls a bed."

"Ok, thanks," Toby thanked her. He gave her a parting smile and didn't notice that her smile in return was a shaky one.

She wasn't hiding anything. That's what Spencer told herself after Toby had left, closing the door again. There was nothing to hide; she wasn't addicted to the pills again. She had everything under control. There was just so much time and energy in taking care of a preemie and also taking on Emily's case. And, now, she had a sick toddler to add to the plate. The pills were just helping her focus on everything and giving her very best. When things calmed down, everything would go back to normal.

Before she could think about it further or feel guilty about lying to Toby, she reopened the drawer and took the pills back. Spencer held the bottle up in her hand in front of her face. Just until everything calmed down. Spencer upended the bottle into her palm, two small white pills falling out. She popped them into her mouth, and chased them down with some water. Now, she was ready to work.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Later that night, Tyler and Eliza were put to bed for the night, in their own rooms. Spencer was back in her office, after a little break. She was just about done what she had to do for Emily's case for now, there was just a few things she was finishing up. She had wanted to be in here sooner, but Eliza was being difficult. The baby wouldn't stop crying, and commanded both of Spencer's and Toby's attentions. And, Tyler couldn't go to sleep, because Eliza was crying and he wanted Toby to lie with him as he fell asleep. Now, all was quiet.

"I think it's time to go to bed," Toby said from the doorway. Spencer glanced up from her work to see a shirtless Toby gazing at her, his perfect abs on full display.

Spencer bit her lip to hide her smile, glancing back down. "I'm almost done here," she mumbled.

Toby pushed himself off the wall, beginning to walk over to her. "Spencer, you've been working almost all day," Toby told her. "You need to take a break. Emily wouldn't want you pushing yourself because of her."

"Really, I'll be done in a minute," Spencer insisted, without looking up. "And I'm not pushing myself."

"Alright," Toby muttered. Spencer was surprised that Toby gave in so easily, but glad at the same time. A second later, she felt Toby's arms wrap around her body and he began nuzzling her neck.

Spencer couldn't focus on what she was doing when he was doing that. Her head fell back involuntarily against his shoulder and a low moan escaped her lips. Toby chuckled low in his throat. He kissed her neck and shoulder, leaving a trail of hot kisses.

"You know I can't resist that," Spencer murmured. Her back arched and tingles ran up and down her spine from his intoxicating touch. A fire began to blaze inside of her, and it took nearly all of her self control to not come undone.

"Exactly," Toby whispered back, his warm breath blowing across her skin, arising goosebumps. He knew exactly what he was doing to her.

Relinquishing to her desire, Spencer turned in his arms, wrapping her own arms around his neck and finding his lips with her own. They kissed passionately and seductively. His strong, capable hands slipped underneath her shirt, roaming over her bare back. She let out another whimpering moan in his mouth, and clung to him desperately, trying to get as close as possible to him. Toby picked her up in his arms, lifting her out of the chair. Spencer wrapped her legs around his waist, as he began to carry her out of the room. Their lips or bodies never once broke contact in the heat of their passion.

Just as they were passing through the door, Spencer glanced over Toby's shoulder back at the desk, where her secret stash of pills were stored secretively. Deep in her gut, she knew that she didn't like lying to Toby, but, then, there was nothing really to tell. She didn't have a problem, like the last time. She would know if she did. Right?

Then, she surrendered to the ecstasy and the insatiable desire keeping her bound in her husband's arms, as he carried her upstairs to their bedroom.

* * *

**A/N:** Did you all like it? Uh oh, is Spencer back on the pills and is there trouble for Spoby on the horizon? Please review, and tell me your thoughts. I love hearing from all of you.


	5. Custody Agreements

**A/N:** Thank you to everybody who read and reviewed, even the anonymous ones. I can't personally reply to those ones, but I just want to say a special thank you to you all. I'm so sorry for the long wait, that will not happen again. For some reason, I seem to have trouble writing Aria's parts/chapters. I don't know why. Here's the next chapter; enjoy :)

* * *

**~ Chapter Five ~**

**~~ Custody Agreements ~~**

_**Aria**_

The gym was loud and filled with a cacophony of different sounds and voices. Enthusiastic parents cheered for their little ones from the bleachers, as the six and seven-year-olds ran up and down the basketball court. Aria and Ezra were two of those parents. They had an excellent vantage point from the middle of the bleachers, watching their son and his team, The Blue Gophers. It wasn't the NBA by any means, but Liam's team was one of the best teams in this league. They were going up against The Green Goblins, the other best team. Liam talked about going up against this team all the time, and whether they win or lose will be what will occupy his mind for the rest of the day.

Liam raced down the court, dribbling the ball. Aria and Ezra cheered him on. Liam tried to take a shot at the basket, but two kids from the other team were locked on him, blocking his shot. Liam managed to pass it to a teammate, who, in turn, threw the ball at the basket and scored. The Gophers erupted into cheers and exclamations. The teams went to set up in the middle of the court again, and Liam's coach took that opportunity to change up the lineup. Liam jogged toward the bench, and sat down with his friends, catching his breath.

Liam was taking a drink from his water bottle, when Ezra started to call down to him. Liam turned and waved at his dad when he saw him. "You're doing great," Ezra praised him, with a big smile on his face. "Keep it up."

"We're so proud of you," Aria added, smiling at him, also. Liam gave them a thumbs up, then turned back around on the bench.

Ezra let out a laugh with a shake of his head, watching Aria. She turned to look at him, confused but grinning. "What's so funny?" she asked him.

Ezra shook his head again. "I just never pictured you as a sports mom," he teased her, lightly.

"Hey!" Aria laughed, playfully, nudging his shoulder with hers. "Well, I'll admit I'm not that big of a sports mom, but since Liam is playing, I'm interested." Ezra smiled at her endearingly, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, holding her close and kissing her temple.

Suddenly, a baby's pacifier rolled across the bleachers, stopping at their feet. Aria leaned over and picked it up, dusting it off with her fingers. She looked around to see who had lost it. There was a young woman with black hair pulled into a neat ponytail, holding an infant against her gray knit sweater. The baby wasn't crying, but she was squirming and squealing against her mother.

"Excuse me, is this yours?" Aria asked the young woman, holding out the pacifier.

The woman glanced over at her, then her shoulders sagged in relief when she saw the missing pacifier. She smiled at Aria. "Oh, thank you so much," she said, gratefully. "I don't know what I would have done if I lost it. Katelyn here loves to spit it out and watch me search for it." She bounced her baby lightly in her arms, as she reached for the pacifier.

"She's so adorable," Aria commented, watching the baby with fascination. It reminded her of holding Liam as a baby, six years ago. He was so little, helpless, and fragile. She loved that time, no matter how hard it was. Ezra saw where her gaze was, and slipped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close again. He kissed her cheek, and then whispered something in her ear. She smiled and nodded in return.

They sat there in comfortable silence for a couple minutes more. Then, Aria started to stand up. "I'm going to get something from the snack stand," she said. "Do you want anything?"

Ezra shook his head. "No, thanks," he declined. "I'll text you if he goes back in."

"Okay," Aria agreed. They shared a quick peck on the lips, and then Aria started making her way down the bleachers. She stepped down to the floor, walking to the double doors leading out to the lobby where the snack stand was. She kept her eyes on the court, just in case Liam went back into the game while she was still here. Aria had just reached the doors and was about to push them open, when someone gently took her elbow and pulled over to the side.

Aria was startled when she turned around and saw who had touched her. "Jason!" she said. "Sorry, I didn't expect to see you...here." She hesitated nervously, glancing back at the bleachers then back to Jason.

"Yeah,..." Jason mumbled, sheepishly. He stuffed his hands into his pockets; at least, he was as nervous as she was. "It's just that the night I ran into you-" His blue eyes flicked around her, trying to pinpoint if anyone else was with her. "-at The Grille, Liam was telling me about his basketball games on Saturdays. He asked if I would come to one, but I didn't know if you or him would be okay with it..." Jason trailed off.

"Oh, no, of course, it's fine," Aria assured him, laughing a little to let her nerves out. "It's my fault, I should have known he invited you."

They lapsed into a short, awkward silence. Jason motioned to Liam sitting on the bench with his teammates. "He's getting really good," he commented.

"Mm-hmm, he's been practicing a lot," Aria replied.

"I can tell," Jason smiled, thinking about Liam. A few more seconds of silence passed between them again. Jason was the first one to speak again. "I knew you'd probably be here with...him. I didn't want to cause a scene, or discord, or anything, so I was just going to watch from down here. I'll leave right after the game is over, but if you could tell Liam that I was here." He looked at her hopefully.

She thought for a minute, and then spoke before she had a change of mind. "No, you should stay and see him yourself," Aria told him. "I know he'll like that."

"Are you sure?" Jason asked her.

"Yeah,...it will be fine," Aria reassured him, with a small smile. There was nothing else really to say after that. She nodded, gave him a small wave, starting to back away. She didn't get that far when Jason suddenly called her back, sounding like he just made a snap decision.

"Aria," he called to her. "I was wondering if maybe I could see Liam, maybe, like once a week or something like that. I really miss him, and..." He took a breath, licking his lips before continuing. "Listen, I wasn't just helping you, Aria, six years ago. You...and Liam, were helping me, too. I was able to stay sober for the two of you. I already lost you, and if I lost him, too,..."

Aria was caught off guard; she didn't know what to think or say. "Umm,...sure," she found herself saying. "I'll talk it over with Liam and see what he wants to do. I have no doubt that he'll want to spend time with you." She added the latter with a laugh.

"Ok," Jason breathed out a sigh of relief, laughing a little with her. They parted ways then, starting to go in for a goodbye hug but instead just doing an awkward handshake. Hopefully, in time, the awkwardness between them will fade.

About ten minutes later, Aria was climbing back up the bleachers, a soft pretzel in her hand. She sat back down in her spot beside Ezra. "What did I miss?" she asked him, holding the pretzel to him, offering him a piece. Ezra had texted her when she was standing in line that Liam was back in the game.

"He almost scored, but the ball bounced off the rim," Ezra told her, breaking off a piece of pretzel. He looked straight out at the game.

"Oh, that's too bad," Aria replied. "Did he get another chance?"

Ezra didn't say anything, almost like he didn't hear her. He popped the pretzel piece into his mouth, chewing distractedly. He didn't seem entirely focused on the game. "Ezra?" she looked at him with concern.

Ezra knew that she saw that he was distracted; he couldn't hide anything from her. He looked down at his feet before he looked at her. "I saw you talking to Jason down there," he said.

Aria sat back, a bit taken aback. She wasn't expecting him to mention Jason, though maybe she should have. "You saw that?" she said, dumbly. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know he was going to be here. Liam invited him."

Ezra nodded, swallowing hard and looking away.

Aria hesitated before speaking, not sure how to broach this next topic. She took a deep breath, and decided to just say it. "So, um, Jason asked if he could see Liam once a week, or something like that," Aria explained to him.

"What did you tell him?" Ezra asked, still not looking at her.

"Well, I said that I'll see how Liam felt about it, but I basically said that it was okay," Aria answered. She put her hand on his arm, wishing that he would look at her. "Are you okay?"

Ezra nodded briskly again, glancing down at her with a halfhearted smile. "Yeah, I'm fine," he assured her, weakly. Aria could feel that he was hiding his feelings from her, though he did very well at hiding them. Ezra kissed her cheek in another attempt to show her that 'everything was fine', but it only made her more determined to figure out what he was truly feeling. Even if she had to wait until they were alone.

When the final buzzer signaled the end of the game, Liam's team burst into cheers and exclamations. They had just beat the goblins 5-3. As the small family stood in the lobby, Liam was replaying the game play by play.

"I was blocked and I knew I couldn't score, so I passed it to Danny and he scored the final shot!" Liam exclaimed, pantomiming the act with vigor.

"I think you did awesome," Ezra praised him, grinning, "You were so focused and fierce." He held his hand up for a hi-five. Liam slapped it hard, enthusiastically. Aria watched them, happily.

Jason approached them from behind, slowly. Liam saw him first. "Jason! You came!" he yelled. He ran up to him and threw his arms around him after the man had knelt down.

"Hey, buddy, of course I came," Jason said, just as happy as Liam. "You were so good out there. I'm so proud of you."

Ezra had immediately clammed up the moment Jason had approached. He watched his son from a small distance, with wary eyes. Aria gave him a careful glance before stepping closer to Liam and Jason.

"Mommy, look Jason came!" Liam announced, like she really hadn't already known.

"Yeah, I know," Aria laughed. "I hate to break this up, but we have to go."

"Ohhhh, why?" Liam complained, turning around and facing Aria, his shoulders slumped forward.

"You know why," Aria told him. She watched Jason carefully. She didn't want to say where they were going, because it would just rub salt in a open wound. "We told you about it this morning. Remember?"

It took Liam a second to remember, but he didn't get happier when he did, even though he was excited this morning. "I don't wanna do stupid wedding stuff!" Liam exclaimed, kicking at the floor with his sneaker.

Jason flinched at the word 'wedding'. He tried to hide it, but Aria saw it and she felt guilty for causing him pain. Meanwhile, Ezra was trying to get Liam back in the mood for the wedding plans. "Remember, we're going to pick out the food and the cake we're going to have at the reception," he was telling his son.

"Nooooo, it's gonna be boring!" Liam still whined. It was a little shocking to both Aria and Ezra, because Liam was not someone who said no to cake. "I wanna go with Jason!"

Ezra looked away. Aria quickly intervened. "Liam, that's not how we ask for something," she reprimanded him. "Besides, Jason might have something else to do." Liam kicked at the floor again, sullenly but stayed quiet.

"Well, actually, he can come with me if you want," Jason offered, wanting to help diffuse the situation but also keeping a careful eye on Ezra. "I'm not really doing anything."

"Yeah, can I?" Liam asked, excited all over again. "I'm sorry I was acting like a brat."

"Well,..." Aria hesitated, biting her lip and looking back at Ezra. He wouldn't look at her. "I guess if everyone is okay with it,..." She looked pointedly at Ezra, expecting him to have an objection.

"Sure, buddy, you don't have to go with us," Ezra replied, surprisingly. Liam whooped with joy, running over to hug Ezra. He hugged Liam back. "Have fun."

While Aria gave Liam strict instructions to be on his best behavior, Ezra and Jason shared a look. Jason gave him a nod of acknowledgment and thanks. Ezra returned a short, tight nod of his own, not really feeling the same things. As they began going their separate ways, Ezra watched his son with the man who felt like was stealing Liam away from him.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Later that night, after an afternoon filled with hors d'oeuvres, entrees, and desserts, Aria and Ezra were ready for a quiet night. Jason had dropped Liam off at dinnertime, and the little boy was in high spirits the rest of the evening. He didn't give lip, and he was a perfect angel. He crashed as soon as his head hit the pillow and he was now sound asleep. Aria pulled his bedroom door shut, quietly so as not to disturb him. She made her way downstairs, sighing at the sight of Liam's jacket at the foot of the stairs. Aria bent over and picked it up, laying it over the banister as a reminder to take it upstairs. Then, realizing that everything was quiet downstairs, she went in search of Ezra.

Aria found him at the back of the house in the living room. The room was dim and the television was on mutely, the light from the screen flickering across Ezra's features as a bluish glow. He wasn't entirely focused on the TV program, his face was solemn and almost closed off.

She stepped into the room softly, but she didn't know if he knew that she was there or not. He didn't move. "Ezra?" Aria questioned, her voice just above a whisper. His head snapped up to look at her, like he was startled. "I'm sorry... Are you okay?"

Ezra looked at her with defeated eyes. "No," he answered, truthfully, dropping his head back to the floor.

Aria stopped in her tracks for a second, a little bit shock. She hadn't been expecting him to say that. "Why? What's wrong?" she asked, concerned now. She walked the rest of the way over to him, taking a seat in the chair across from him and leaning forward on her knees.

"I'm never going to be a real a father to him, am I?" Ezra sighed and shook his head.

"What?!" Aria blurted out, then lowered her voice. "Ezra, you are Liam's father. That's never going to change."

"Really?" Ezra said, doubtfully. He picked his gaze up from the floor, and looked at her. "Because I only feel like the guy who supplied some DNA, not what a father is supposed to be."

"Is this about Jason?" Aria asked him, gently. She glanced down at her fingernails apprehensively, then looked back up at him. "Because if you have a problem with Liam spending time with him, then-" She started to say, wanting to fix everything.

"Jason? Yes, I guess this is about him," Ezra explained. He dropped his hands and stood up, walking a few paces away. "It's about how he and Liam have this special bond, and nothing I do with _my_ son will be able to touch that." He stood with his hands on his hips, staring blindly out the window.

Aria sat in her chair, unable to think of anything to say. There was nothing really she could say to fix this. She couldn't really go back and rewrite the past, all of Jason's and Liam's memories together. All they could really do was move forward, in the best way that they can. Aria stood up and walked over to him, standing just behind him.

"I am so sorry that you feel this way," Aria replied. She placed one hand on his arm and the other rested on his shoulder. "I wish you had told me this earlier, but I'm glad you told me either way." She gave his arm and shoulder a light squeeze. "Liam loves you. He does, and, in time, the two of you will have a stronger bond than Jason and Liam. I promise you." Aria laid her cheek against his arm.

_In time._ The words floated around Ezra's mind like annoying insects. As in, not right now. He turned his head a little, kissing the top of her head. "I hope so," he whispered, leaning into her physically and emotionally.

* * *

**A/N:** Did you all like it? What do you all think? Should Jason be a part of Liam's life or will he just mess things up for Ezria? Please review and tell me your thoughts.


	6. Leslie's Nightmare

**A/N:** Thank you again for all of the lovely reviews and comments. I'm so sorry for another long wait. Enjoy. :)

* * *

**~ Chapter Six ~**

**~~ Leslie's Nightmare ~~**

_**Hanna**_

"Isn't she just perfect?" Hanna whispered, as she gazed down at her four-week-old baby daughter. Hailey lay on her back in her bassinet and Hanna had her hand on the baby's belly, soothing her to sleep. Hailey breathed softly, as her eyelids fluttered sleepily. Her dark hair contrasted with the white sheet, though it was growing a bit lighter. Her tiny arms were laid flat on the bed on either side of her head, her fingers fluttering every so often.

Caleb stood next to Hanna, also gazing down at the beautiful baby they had created together. He put his hand on her shoulder, his arm going around her back. "Yeah, she's perfect when she's not screaming her lungs out," he laughed, referring to just an hour ago when she wouldn't stop crying.

Hanna hit him playfully in the chest. "Stop," she warned, glancing up at him with a smile. Then, she looked back down at her baby. "She's just voicing her feelings in a very natural way. Aren't you?" Hanna baby-talked to Hailey, even though the baby was just about in a dreaming state.

"Well, in that case," Caleb said, leaning over close to the bassinet, like he was about to tell her a secret. "you stay little for as long as you can." He wrapped his arms around Hanna's waist, laying his chin down on her shoulder. "Next time, we're going for a boy."

"Oh, really?" Hanna giggled, as he kissed her neck.

"Yup," Caleb murmured, then kissed her neck some more. Hanna leaned into his ministrations, a low moan escaping her mouth. He smiled against her neck, reveling in knowing how his kisses effected her. Just at the height of the heat, Caleb pulled back teasingly. He reached his hand into the bassinet, stroking his fingers down along Hailey's head.

"Ok, I think she's out," Caleb said. He bent over and kissed Hailey's forehead. Then, he stepped back, allowing Hanna to do the same. She whispered good night to her, tucking the blanket around her and kissing her cheek.

"One down, one to go," Hanna replied, as she straightened back up. Right on cue, Leslie's giggles echoed down the hall.

"Ready?" Caleb asked her, rhetorically, holding out his hand. Hanna smiled and nodded, slipping her hand into his as they walked out of their bedroom. They knew it was going to be difficult getting Leslie ready for bed, but they hoped it would be different. They moved down the hall, listening to their daughter's lovely voice and laughter.

"La la la la la la la la!" Leslie sang.

Hanna and Caleb came upon her room and peeked in on her. Leslie sat on the floor, in one spot. No matter how far she had to stretch to reach for something, she didn't move. She played with her fuzzy brown teddy bear as it wore a pink tutu, making it dance. They could just watch her all night, cherishing every piece of her. All too soon, the sweet moment ended when Leslie turned and saw them in the doorway.

"Wanna pay?" Leslie asked, sweetly, though she still didn't move from her spot on the floor.

Hanna saw that Leslie was acting suspicious. "What are you doing?" she asked her little girl, walking further into the room. Caleb followed behind her.

"Nothing," Leslie mumbled, turning back to her bear. She started playing again, albeit with less enthusiasm. Hanna knelt down next to the two year old, putting her hand on her back.

"What's wrong, princess?" Caleb asked her. Leslie stopped playing and looked down.

Hanna looked down at Leslie's lap, smiling sympathetically as she smoothed down her daughter's hair. "Did you pee-pee?" she asked Leslie, gently. Leslie started to cry as an answer. Hanna pulled Leslie into a hug, her heart melting at the sight of the tears. "Ohhh, it's okay, it's okay. Accidents happen." Leslie sniffled as Hanna pulled away and lifted her to her feet, revealing the wet spot on her pants and the floor.

"I sowwy," Leslie whimpered, wiping her nose with her hand.

"It's okay, princess," Caleb reassured, tapping her playfully on the nose to cheer her up. "I guess you were too busy playing, huh?"

Leslie nodded, still a little upset. Hanna shushed Leslie softly, sliding the ponytail holder out of Leslie's long blonde hair. "C'mon, it's bath time anyway. Let's go get cleaned up," Hanna told her. She stood back up, taking Leslie's hand to lead her to the bathroom.

Leslie waddled forward a couple steps in her wet pants, before she realized what her mommy just said. "No, no bath!" she burst out, stopping and planting her feet. "No, I don't wanna!"

Hanna stopped and picked Leslie up. "Sweetie, you have to get cleaned," she told her daughter. Out of the corner of her eye, Hanna could see Caleb watching Leslie worriedly, as he was starting to clean up the mess on the floor. "You don't want to stay all wet and dirty, do you?"

Leslie shook her head. "Ok, don't wanna go a sleep," she said. She pressed her face down on Hanna's shoulder, as if she was hiding from something.

"It's alright, you don't have to go to sleep right now," Hanna murmured in Leslie's ear. As she began leaving the bedroom again, she shared a look with Caleb. They both knew and expected this behavior from Leslie at bedtime; it has been going on for a while. What they didn't know, was how long it was going to last?

In the bathroom, Hanna turned the water on for Leslie's bath. When the water was warm and ready, she stripped off Leslie's clothes and lifted her into the bathtub. After a couple of minutes, Leslie let go of her earlier anxiety over bedtime and started having fun in the bath. She played with her mermaid bath toys, splashing them into the water in her own made up game. Leslie laughed out loud whenever she splashed her mommy as Hanna tried to wash her.

Hanna was just rinsing out the last of the shampoo from Leslie's hair, while the little girl sang her own barely coherent version of Frozen's 'Let It Go'. Neither one of them knew that they had another guest in the bathroom with them, until Hanna felt Caleb kneel down beside her, his hand unconsciously resting on her back. Leslie was still none the wiser.

"Wet it go! Wet it go! 'urn way and sam da door! …... da cold ne'er 'othered me anyway!" Leslie sang, flourishing her arms out and sending water droplets flying.

Hanna and Caleb chuckled at their daughter's antics, grinning at each other. "That's what I like to see," Caleb said to Leslie.

Leslie sat up straighter, startled a little, but she smiled big when she saw her daddy. "I singing," she said, holding onto her ankles and rocking back and forth.

"I heard you. That was beautiful, princess," Caleb gushed. He reached out and wiped a water droplet that was almost about to drip in her eye. "Are you ready to get out? You look a little cold."

"Yeah, she's all done," Hanna agreed. Leslie pretended to shiver more than she was, standing up and wrapping her little arms around herself. Hanna drained the tub, and Caleb wrapped Leslie in a Hello Kitty towel, lifting her up in his arms.

"Come here, you little Frozen princess," Caleb laughed, cradling Leslie against him. She giggled and squirmed as Caleb tickled her. He carried her back to her bedroom to dress her in her pajamas. Setting her down on her feet, Caleb pulled two pairs of pajamas out of the drawer. "Princess or Kitty?" he asked, holding out both pairs.

"Ummm," Leslie thought, with her finger against her chin, grinning. Then, she pointed to one. "Kitty!" Caleb dressed her in her Hello Kitty jammies, guiding her arms and legs into the right spots while still allowing her to do most of the work.

"All done!" Leslie exclaimed, flipping her damp hair out of her shirt. She ran and dove onto her little toddler bed, wrapping her arms around her tutu-wearing teddy bear. "Let play!"

"No, no, not yet," Caleb told her. "You have to get your hair brushed first." He stood back up, picked up her hairbrush from her dresser, and started moving toward her.

"No, mommy do!" Leslie exclaimed again, just as Hanna came into the room.

Caleb laughed and passed the brush to Hanna as she passed him, falling to the floor into a sitting position. Hanna sat down on Leslie's bed and the little girl crawled over to her with her bear still in her hands.

"Daddy brushes your hair too rough, doesn't he?" Hanna joked, as she started brushing Leslie's hair gently. She peered over Leslie's head at Caleb with a smile, then looked back down at her daughter. "We have to be gentle with your beautiful hair, don't we?" Leslie nodded as she played randomly with her bear.

"Like mother, like daughter," Caleb replied, smiling adoringly at them both. Hanna smiled at him, and then, a second later, Leslie looked up and smiled at him, too. His heart melted at her smile, and he would do anything to keep that smile on her face. To make sure she stayed safe for the rest of her life.

Hanna finished brushing Leslie's hair, and then she had some milk and cookies for a little snack. Her daddy teased her by pretending to take bites out of her cookies and she laughed the whole time. When she was all done with her snack, they played in the living room for a couple more minutes until Leslie let out a big yawn.

"Someone is ready for bed," Hanna commented, running her fingers lightly through Leslie's hair.

"No! No, sleep!" Leslie exclaimed. She climbed to her feet and took off across the room. Caleb chased after her, and had her swung up in his arms in a matter of seconds. Leslie giggled for a second, then started crying. "No, bed!"

"Yes, bed," Hanna told her softly, catching up to the two of them. "You're tired; you need to go to sleep." She tucked Leslie's hair behind both of her ears and kissed her forehead.

"You bed!" Leslie cried, her blue eyes beginning to reflect with tears.

"No, you're going to sleep in your bed like a big girl," Caleb corrected her. They came to her bedroom and stepped inside. That only made Leslie worse.

"Nooooo!" Leslie still cried. "I don't wanna! I don't wanna! Pwease, you bed!" She was getting hysterical now, just like every night. Hanna took Leslie from Caleb, and she wrapped her little arms around Hanna's neck tightly as if that would help her not to sleep in her own bed.

Hanna placed Leslie on her bed anyway, unwinding Leslie's arms and taking her hands in her own, kneeling on the floor by the bed. "Shhhh, calm down, ok," she soothed her daughter, wiping away the tears that were falling. "Why don't you want to sleep in your own bed?"

"I scared!" Leslie whimpered, sniffling loudly but not able to stop her crying.

"What are you scared of, princess?" Caleb asked her softly, coming to kneel next to Hanna. Leslie didn't answer. She just let out another cry, reaching for Hanna again and burying her face in her mother's shirt.

Caleb touched the back of Leslie's head calmly. "Listen, princess," he began. Leslie turned her head against Hanna to look at him, and he continued. "I want you to sleep in your own bed and if you get scared, I want you to hug your bear so tight and she'll make all the scary stuff go away."

"Really?" Leslie whimpered, wiping at her eyes and sitting up.

"I promise you, nothing is going to happen to you," Caleb nodded. "And if you are still scared, you can come in and get us."

Leslie was quiet, and Hanna was able to lay her down on the bed without a fuss. Leslie hugged her bear close to her chest. Hanna and Caleb tucked their daughter in and kissed her goodnight. "I love you," they each murmured, in turn. Leslie's eyes started fluttering and then they closed as she drifted off to sleep. They walked to the door, switching the light off as they did so. Caleb closed the door behind them, leaving it open a crack just in case Leslie needed them.

Caleb reached for Hanna's hand as they moved down the hall, and Hanna slipped her hand into his. "Well, another night down," Hanna quipped, breathing out an exhausted sigh. "Do you think she's going to sleep in there all night?"

"For our sake, I hope so," Caleb replied, seductively. His arms snaked around Hanna's waist, as they continued walking to their bedroom. They stepped over the threshold, and Hanna turned around in his arms, her hands sliding up his arms until they rested at the nape of his neck.

"What did you have in mind?" Hanna whispered, leaning in closer to him. Their lips were only a few inches apart.

"I was thinking..." Caleb brought his lips on top of hers. "...of..." He kissed her lips lightly and tenderly, and then trailed his lips across her cheek, going down to her neck. "...starting here." He kissed her neck, slowly moving south.

The feelings his ministrations were eliciting out of her were powerful and strong, she almost couldn't speak. "Sounds good to me," Hanna mumbled, and a moan shortly followed, as his kisses caused shivers to race up and down her spine. Caleb lifted her up in his arms and she wrapped her legs around his waist. She could feel herself starting to come apart in his arms. They fell onto the bed in a tangle of arms and legs.

They continued to kiss passionately, pressing closer to each other. They broke the kiss for just a second as Caleb pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it to the floor. He looked into her eyes, grinning, sliding his hands underneath her shirt and along her heated skin. He captured her lips in another scorching kiss, and they lost themselves in the height of their passion.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!"

Leslie's cry echoed throughout the house, awakening everyone from their deep slumber. Hanna and Caleb woke up immediately and so did the baby. Hailey was jolted awake by her big sister's screams and started to cry herself. Groaning from being disturbed from their peaceful sleep, Hanna and Caleb got up to tend to their daughters. Caleb left the room to calm down Leslie, and Hanna went to the bassinet to get Hailey. She lifted the baby up and started to coo at her, soothing her cries.

Hailey was just starting to quiet down and fall back asleep when, a minute later, Caleb came back into the room carrying Leslie. She wasn't crying anymore as she lay against Caleb tiredly, but one arm was locked almost tightly around his neck. Hanna laid Hailey back down in the bassinet, and walked over to her husband and eldest daughter.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" Hanna murmured, leaning close in Leslie's face and stroking her hair back behind her ear. Leslie nodded mutely, her eyes flicking up to Hanna. Leslie whimpered softly, and reached out for Hanna with her free hand, tiredly. Hanna took her hand, kissing it lovingly.

Hanna glanced up Caleb. "Bad dream again?" she asked, in a whisper.

"Yeah," Caleb nodded, also whispering. "She said that the bad man was coming to get her again."

"Poor baby," Hanna kissed Leslie sweetly on the cheek. Then, Caleb walked over to the bed and laid Leslie down in the middle. She curled up under the covers with her bear against a pillow, slowly starting to drift back to sleep. Caleb turned back to Hanna. "I swear if Wilden wasn't in jail right now, I'd strangle him for hurting her like this," Hanna whispered, although Leslie was too far into sleep to hear anything.

With one last longing look at his daughter, Caleb stepped back over to Hanna. He took her elbow and pulled her over toward the doorway, away from their sleeping children. "Hanna, we can't keep doing this," he told her.

"I know, I love her dearly, but I miss sleeping in your arms when she's in here, too," Hanna grinned, touching his chest with her hand.

Caleb grinned back, shaking his head and getting serious again. "I mean that, this isn't something that's just going to go away," he clarified. "It's been two months since we brought her home and she's still afraid to sleep by herself."

"She's just jealous that her sister gets to sleep with us and she doesn't," Hanna said, brushing off his concern. She started to go back to bed.

Caleb grabbed her arms in his hands, stopping her. "Hanna, that wasn't jealousy I walked in on just now," he argued, trying to get her to see the truth, gently. "That was pure terror in her eyes. It took about two minutes for me to get her to see that it was me in there and not Wilden." He closed his eyes for a second, thinking back to that haunted look in Leslie's eyes. It hurt him to know how much she was hurting.

"What are you saying?" Hanna questioned, just above a whisper. She moved her gaze over to Leslie in the bed, her chest rising and falling slowly with each soft breath.

"I'm saying that...," Caleb took a deep breath before continuing. "as much as we don't want to think about it, she's been through some terrible things in her short life..."

Hanna shook her head, interrupting him. "We took her to the hospital that first night..." her breath caught in her throat and she struggled to reign in her emotions. "... The doctor checked her out and said that she was fine..." She held onto Caleb's arms with her own hands.

"Physically, yes," Caleb elaborated. "But, mentally? We don't know what she saw or heard inside that house. I think, maybe-"

"Caleb, stop," Hanna interrupted again, putting her hands up. "Look at her," She waved her hand at Leslie's sleeping form. "There's nothing wrong with her, she's fine."

"Hanna, we can't ignore this," Caleb insisted. "I was thinking that we could talk to Dr. Sullivan. Maybe she'll be able to help Leslie or, at least, help us help her." He reached for her hand, thinking that he was getting through to her.

"No," Hanna replied, stepping back a step. "We don't need to talk to Dr. Sullivan. Leslie is not damaged or crippled. She's our daughter." She started to turn away again.

Caleb stopped her again. "Right, and, as her parents, we have to do what's best for her," he told her. "This isn't just some childlike phase or plea for attention. She is crying out for help, and all I can do is hold her and tell her everything is going to be okay. That isn't enough, and I don't like it."

Hanna was shaking her head before he even finished speaking. "I don't want to talk about this anymore," she said. Caleb didn't stop her from walking away this time. He watched her slip into the bed beside Leslie, laying down next to her. She pulled Leslie into her arms, tucking the little girl's head underneath her chin.

Caleb didn't know how he was going to convince Hanna that Leslie needed help. All he knew was that he couldn't watch his daughter suffer another terrifying nightmare one more night.

* * *

**A/N:** How did you all like it? I'm so sorry again for the long wait; I hate it when that happens. Will Haleb's little girl be alright, and can Caleb convince Hanna that Leslie needs help? Please review and tell me what you thought of this chapter.


	7. A Mother's Search

**A/N:** Thank you again to everybody who read and reviewed the last chapter. Though I'm wondering where a lot of my reviewers went to, I haven't received that many reviews for the last two chapters. Remember, I love reviews no matter how long or short they are, just let me know you are still reading. :) Here's the next chapter. Enjoy. :)

* * *

**~ Chapter Seven ~**

**~~ A Mother's Search ~~**

_**Alison**_

_Pain ripped through her body as she gripped the metal railing to steady herself on the metal stairs. She doubled over herself, holding her stomach with her other hand. She gritted her teeth together, biting down on her cheek until she tasted the metallic sting of blood. She had made her way down slowly into the basement of an abandoned warehouse, but she still glanced around, afraid that someone would find her here. It has been just about nine months since she'd run away, faking her death, and she was now used to constantly looking over her shoulder._

_Alison stumbled over to the far corner, releasing a small scream through closed lips. Her bag was the first thing to fall to the floor with a small thud, slipping off her shoulder in one fluid motion. She leaned against the wall, turning her attention to her rounded belly. Ali placed her hands on her belly, holding it carefully. She squeezed her eyes shut, as the pain began to subside._

"_It's okay, baby," Alison whispered to her unborn baby. The contraction ended, and Ali leaned her head back against the wall, letting out a whoosh of air from her lungs. "Everything is going to be okay."_

_She looked up from her belly, and glanced around the decent-sized room. The room wasn't lit, but the afternoon sun was filtering in through the small windows high up on the walls. It will become even darker down in the basement, seeing as it was getting closer to dusk. The air felt chilly and damp, and Alison huddled deeper into her corner to find some warmth. She whimpered a little, afraid that she's going to have give birth to her baby all by herself in this basement._

_Suddenly, she realized that she didn't have to be alone. There was someone she could call, the only person who knew that she was really alive. Alison never would have thought that she would come to trust and depend on him so much during these past several months, but she did. Ali could feel herself falling for him. She could feel in the way her heart beat a little bit faster every time they met in a dark alley, when he eventually leaves her, and even when they only speak on the phone._

_Alison sat up more, or as much as she could, and reached for her bag. She dragged it by the strap across the concrete floor, into her lap. She felt around inside for the anonymous, prepaid phone. Another grateful gift from him. Ali had gotten rid of her own personal phone so that no one would be able to trace her. Her hand wrapped around the cool device, pulling it out._

_She dialed the familiar number, without really thinking of the numbers. She put the phone to her ear, waiting for him to answer. Alison tapped her fingers against her thigh, until she felt the beginnings of another contraction starting. Thankfully, she heard his voice come on the other end of the phone._

"_Alison?"_

_The contraction was getting stronger. She had to take a deep breath before she could speak, but her words still came out strained. "It's happening...the baby's coming," Alison managed to say._

Alison woke with a start. She felt like she had been reliving that memory. Her blonde hair and her tank top stuck to her from sweat, as if she really had been in labor. She sat up slowly as she began to come out of sleep. Alison pushed her hair back out of her face, and leaned on her fist on her upraised knees. Then, Ali looked down at her flat stomach, slowly putting her hand there. Where her baby used to reside inside her, a long time ago.

_A cry filled the quiet space, as Ali cleaned her baby off and then wrapped her up in an old blanket she had in her pack. Alison held her close to her and the baby stopped crying. She whispered to her newborn daughter soothingly, until she heard movement at the top of the stairs. Her head whipped up, hugging the baby more protectively against her body._

_There was figure outlined in black standing at the top of the stairs. He peeked out through the open door one last time, and then pulled the door shut behind him. Alison saw him turn again to face her, though she couldn't see who it was because he was still in the shadows. Fear raced through her veins because of her vulnerable state._

"_Alison?"_

_She breathed out a huge sigh of relief, feeling so grateful that it wasn't someone dangerous. It was Noel. "I'm-" she stopped and corrected herself. "We're down here."_

_In the next second, Alison saw Noel sprint down the stairs so fast that it looked like he flew down. He was by her side in a second. Noel fell to his knee beside her, his hand landing on her shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked her, then he took in the baby in her arms. "How did you..." he stammered, his words trailing off._

_Alison smiled and shook her head, glancing up at him. "I don't know how I did it," she told him, breathlessly. She looked back down at her daughter. "But I did it." She kissed the baby's forehead._

_Noel wasted no more time. "Ok, we have to get the two of you to the hospital," he announced. He started to put his arms under Ali to lift her up, but stopped, unsure of how to proceed._

"_No!" Alison exclaimed. She leaned away from him, closer to the wall. "I can't go to the hospital!"_

_Noel looked at her like she was crazy. "Ali, you—you just had a baby!" he reminded her, just a bit forcefully. "You need to go to a hospital."_

"_No, I can't," Alison insisted. She took a deep breath and tried to tell him her reason for not going. "Hospitals ask too many questions. If I go, they'll realize who I am and I'll be in more danger than I am now. No. I need to stay hidden."_

_Noel shook his head, the pain from her decision reflecting in his eyes._

_Ali looked away from his gaze. She looked down at her baby again. She started squirming, waking up. Alison kissed the baby's head again, her lips lingering on her skin. Ali breathed in that sweet baby smell, committing it to memory as she came to terms with the decision she just made._

"_Take Isabella," Alison stated, holding the baby out toward Noel. "Take her to the hospital. Leave as soon as you can; don't answer any questions. I'll-I'll find a free clinic,...if I need it."_

"_You're abandoning her?" Noel questioned her, shocked._

_Alison closed her eyes, fighting back the torrent of emotion rising up inside her. "I can't take her with me," she whispered. Her lip quivered. "I can't...It wouldn't be fair to her...running and hiding."_

_Noel was quiet, but she still felt his steady presence beside her. Then, Ali felt him lift Isabella out of her arms and she felt the empty space like a hundred pound weight. Her breath hitched in her throat, and she just nearly stopped herself from bursting into sobs. She didn't open her eyes. She didn't want watch her beautiful blue-eyed baby girl leave her._

_Another minute passed, before Noel finally spoke. He sighed, "I'll go," he told her, quietly. "But I'm coming back for you and taking you to a clinic." Noel said the latter with determined finality._

_Ali didn't say anything. She'd be gone before he got back. A couple seconds of silence went by, and then Noel stood up. Alison heard his slow footsteps walking away. She gasped out loud, feeling the loneliness start to creep in again. She opened her eyes, a tear immediately falling down her cheek. She watched Noel ascend the staircase, getting farther and farther away with her baby. She let out another sobbing gasp. Noel was too far away to hear her._

"_I love you," Alison whispered, into the dark. Though, she didn't know who she spoke those words to: Isabella or Noel._

Alison was jerked back to reality by the sound of her phone ringing. She looked over at the nightstand where she had set her phone the night before. The screen was lit up with Noel's name. She hadn't been expecting to hear from him today, so whatever he was calling to say must be important. Alison scrambled to reach her phone and answer it.

"What did you find?" Alison asked immediately after hitting the button. She swung her legs over the side of the bed.

"What, no hello, or anything?" Noel replied on the other end. "I just found out some valuable information. I think I deserve a little gratitude." Alison could hear his cocky smirk through the phone.

Alison shook her head out of fun and annoyance. "Tell me what you found and I'll determine how much gratitude it warrants," she bargained with him.

"Meet me at The Brew in an hour and I'll tell you. This is something you'll want to hear in person," Noel said. After a minute pause, he added, "It's about your daughter."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

After she got off the phone with Noel, Alison hurriedly got in the shower and then dressed in a pair of skinny jeans and a sweater. She fixed her hair and make-up, and, soon, she was out the door with a half hour to spare. Alison arrived at The Brew looking like her cool and collected self, but on the inside, she was a bundle of nerves. She immediately sought out Noel and found him at a table in the back, watching her. Ali smirked at him, and sauntered over to him.

Noel smiled back, starting to stand up at her approach. He started to lean forward to kiss her, but she stopped him with her hand. "What, I don't get a kiss?" he laughed, sitting back down. "I think I deserve it after what I did for you."

"Well, I'll just have to see if that's true or not," Alison said, grinning, sliding into a chair opposite him. "What did you find out?" She laid her hands on the tabletop, one on top of the other, studying her pristine nails.

"Boy, you're in a rush," Noel replied, lifting up his mug of coffee. "Don't you want a cup of coffee, cappuccino, or something else, first? Maybe have a little small talk...?" He took a sip from his cup.

"Noel," Alison stated, impatient.

"Alright, alright," Noel laughed again. He leaned over the side of his chair, rummaging inside his bag. He pulled out a notebook, flipping it open a couple pages before landing on the one he wanted. Noel folded the book over and placed it on the table in front of Ali. It was filled with jotted down notes.

"Seven years ago, I brought the baby to Memorial Hospital under the alias, Isabella Smith," Noel explained to her. "I did what you had told me that day, I left before the nurses could ask any questions. It was a pain in the ass to get the information I needed now, but I did. I found out that a social worker placed her in an orphanage, and she lived there for about six months." Noel pointed to his notes as he spoke. "After that, she was placed in a foster home until she was two. The couple was arrested on drug charges, and Isabella was moved to a more sanctioned foster home. She still lives there now, with six other foster kids." Noel finished, glancing up and sitting back.

Alison didn't say anything. She was gazing down at something paper-clipped to the page. It was a photograph of a seven year old little girl. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a low, neat ponytail and it spilled over her shoulder, laying over the flowered dress she wore. Her cerulean eyes twinkled, and her big smile showed off her dimples and missing front tooth.

"This is her?" Ali whispered, tracing her finger along the photograph.

Noel nodded, "Yeah. You can get in contact with her through the social worker."

Ali nodded her head slowly, still looking at the photograph. She slipped it out of the paperclip, pulling it closer to her.

"Listen, Ali, in order for me to get all of this information," Noel began again. He glanced down at the table, fingering the coffee mug. He didn't wait for her to look at him, before he continued. "...I had to tell them that I was Isabella's father."

Noel looked back up nervously, waiting for Ali's outburst or exclamation. But she didn't say anything, she didn't even look up. He let out a quiet breath and took another drink of coffee, looking out the window. He didn't even know if she had heard him.

* * *

**A/N:** Well, how was it? I know, Alison probably doesn't have a lot of fans right now, but maybe this story will redeem her, at least in my story. LOL! Will Ali meet Isabella and what is up with Noel's confession at the end? Let me know what you thought in your reviews. :)


	8. Girls' Day Out

**A/N:** Thank you again to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter. I'm so glad that everyone seems to like Ali/Noel together; I was a little worried about that. Also, I made a trailer for this story, just like I did for Vengeance. The link for both videos are in my profile. Anyway, here's the next chapter; enjoy :)

* * *

**~ Chapter 8 ~**

**~~ Girls' Day Out ~~**

_**Emily, Spencer, Aria, Hanna, Alison**_

Snow crunched underfoot as Aria got out of her car and locked it. She breathed in the fresh, cold air, glancing at the bright blue sky and the fresh fallen snow. Then, she looked up at the bridal shop in front of her, and the butterflies in her stomach came back to her in nervous excitement. She was picking out her wedding dress today! Her smile overtook her face as she began her trek toward the shop. It was a nearly treacherous walk through the snow and ice, but she only slipped once.

Her friends were meeting her here to help her pick out her dress for her special day. It was a day to get out for a girls' day, without the stressfulness of their everyday lives. Aria thought she was the first one to arrive, until Spencer stepped onto the sidewalk at the same time she did. The taller brunette had her hands full with Eliza in her car seat. Aria tried to get a peek at the little baby, but she was so bundled up against the cold that she could only make out a fuzzy blanket. The two friends smiled at each other, as they approached each other.

"Hey, Spence," Aria greeted her friend. Then, she leaned over into the baby carrier. "Hello, Eliza," she cooed to the baby. Eliza opened her mouth in a smile, her hand poking up through the blanket as if it was trying to get out. Aria tickled her cheek. "Wow, your mommy has you really bundled in there," she teased, lightly.

Spencer laughed over her own protectiveness. "She's too susceptible to sickness. I'm just being careful," she explained. Even while she spoke, she tucked the blanket more around Eliza's neck with her free hand.

"Well, then, let's get you out of the cold," Aria said, smiling once more at the baby. Then, she straightened up, and the two friends began walking again to the bridal shop.

"So,-" Spencer began, slipping her free arm through Aria's. "-are you excited?"

Aria couldn't hide her smile. "Yeah, I am," her smile faltered a bit, as she revealed the next thing, "but I'm afraid that I'm not going to find the right dress. Everything is going too smoothly."

"Well, as your matron of honor, I promise that you will find the perfect dress," Spencer promised her, grinning. "Okay?" She bumped Aria's shoulder with her own, playfully, to cheer her up. Aria grinned back at her, bumping Spencer's shoulder in return.

At that moment, Eliza squealed in happiness, like she was agreeing with them. Spencer and Aria glanced down at her and laughed. They reached the glass doors to the shop, but, before they could open the doors, Alison bounced over from inside and opened the door for them.

Both Aria and Spencer were surprised to see their friend there already. "Ali,...I didn't expect you to be here already," Aria said. "How long have you been here?"

"Oh, not that long," Alison shrugged, happily. She held the door open for them as, first Spencer with the baby and then Aria, walked inside. "I just wanted to make sure everything was ready and perfect for you."

"Oh, that was nice of you...Ali, you didn't have to," Aria replied.

"I wanted to. This is your special day," Alison explained, pulling Aria into a hug. Aria hugged her back, getting a big whiff of Alison's vanilla shampoo.

"So, are Hanna and Emily here yet?" Aria asked, after they had separated from their hug. She looked around the shop, but only found the two saleswomen.

"No, not yet, I was the first one here," Alison answered. She peered down at baby Eliza, waving her finger at her. "Hi, cutie!" Eliza stared up at her intelligently, trying to figure out if she knew the woman in front of her or not. Then, Alison turned back to her friends. "I got us a private section in the back. Aria, you won't have to go looking through the racks," Ali explained, excitedly. "I've made sure that only the best dresses are brought directly to you." She smiled graciously over her shoulder at the saleswomen.

"Oh, thank you," Aria said, in surprise. She looked over at Spencer, who was just as surprised as she was. However, Spencer hid it by untucking the blanket from around Eliza. She didn't really need it now, because warm air was circulating through the vents, heating the pristine shop.

Alison smiled again, then her eyes flicked over Aria's shoulder. "Oh, here they come!" she trilled, announcing Hanna's, Emily's, and Maya's arrival. She skipped over to greet them. Spencer took that time to lean toward Aria covertly.

"Did she really do this for you or just so that she could control everything?" Spencer muttered to Aria. Aria shushed her, hitting Spencer's arm inconspicuously. Though, Aria wasn't sure of Alison's motives, either. But they weren't going to worry about it; this is going to be a fun day.

Alison opened the door for the last three friends to arrive, greeting them cheerfully. Hanna carried Hailey in a baby carrier strapped to her chest and bundled in a yellow fleece blanket. The baby was sound asleep, laying against her mother.

"Thank you again for inviting me along, Aria," Maya thanked the bride-to-be.

Aria smiled at her. "I'm glad you could come," she said. "I'm going to need all the opinions I can get for the right dress."

"She's scared that she won't be able to find the perfect dress," Spencer elaborated, teasingly. The girls laughed happily, even Aria.

"You helped us pick our wedding dresses, now it's our turn to help you," Hanna assured her. She stroked Hailey's head unconsciously. Aria smiled at her gratefully.

"Well, what are we doing standing here chit-chatting, ladies," Alison questioned, rhetorically, smiling at them all in turn. "Let's get started." She turned around and nodded at one of the saleswomen. "We're ready now, Erica." The woman nodded and motioned for them to follow her. Alison grinned back at her friends, before leading her friends to the back of the store.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

About five beautifully designed and intricately detailed dresses later, Aria was no closer to choosing a dress than she was when they arrived. Aria frowned and grumbled as she looked at herself in the three-way mirror, turning this way and that in this newest dress. Seeing her indecision, Spencer walked over to the bride, carrying one of the previous dresses Aria had already tried on.

"I think you need to try this one again," Spencer encouraged her. "I think it looked the best on you. You just weren't seeing it."

"If you think so," Aria agreed, hopelessly. "Though, I don't know what good it will do. None of these dresses are right." She took the dress Spencer offered her anyway, stepping down from in front of the mirror.

Suddenly, Alison called over to Spencer. "Hey, Spence, this little one is getting a little fussy," Ali announced. Eliza's whimpers had started off quiet and now were getting louder.

Spencer glanced over her shoulder at Alison. "I packed a bottle for her. Can you get it out?" she asked her friend. Ali nodded and reached for the diaper bag. Then, Spencer turned back to Aria. "Trust me," Spencer grinned at her, convincingly. Aria smiled back at her exaggeratedly, then she disappeared inside a dressing stall. Spencer walked back over to where her other friends were sitting.

Alison had the bottle out and was, hesitatingly, trying to feed the bottle to Eliza. Spencer smiled to herself, the idea that Ali wasn't so confident about something tickling her. She sat down in her chair, slowly reaching for the bottle.

"I wasn't sure if she could hold it by herself or not..." Alison relinquished the bottle over to Spencer. She looked down at the carpeted floor, rubbing her hands together. "I guess I need practice with this whole kid thing."

Spencer smiled reassuringly at her friend, sympathy for Ali overshadowing her earlier giddiness. "Everything will come naturally to you," she told Alison, simply. Then, she turned her attention back to her baby. "She's trying to hold it, she likes to put her hands on it," Spencer explained, leaning over and guiding the bottle into Eliza's open mouth. "but she still needs help with holding it up." She glanced at Ali briefly with a smile, and then looked back down at Eliza.

Alison smiled admiringly at the pair. Spencer launched into a string of baby talk as she fed her daughter, going into a bubble with just her and her baby. Alison turned to the others. Hanna was talking on the phone, with Hailey cradled in her other arm. So, Ali faced Emily.

"So, Em, how are the twins?" Alison asked, making conversation. "Have you heard anything else from Enrique?"

"They're good, sweet little angels. They love the bracelets you gave them for Christmas, they wear them everyday," Emily gushed. However, her smile started to fade as she moved on. "Enrique has called a few times, asking to see the girls." She shared a look with Maya, who patted her hand in reassurance. "We're not really sure what to do; he's so persistent. We're not really comfortable with him being around the girls."

"I'm so sorry that you have to go through this, especially so soon after Mackenzie's illness," Alison sympathized, rubbing Emily's arm with her hand in a friendly way. She looked at Maya with recognition and sympathy. "But...maybe,..if you let him see the twins, maybe he'll see how happy and well cared for they are with you."

Emily and Maya looked at each other hesitantly. "I don't know..." Maya mumbled, without looking away from Emily.

"I wouldn't even know how to introduce him to the girls," Emily said to Maya. "Would we tell them who he is to them or..." Emily trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished in the air. Maya shook her head in agreement, helplessly. "I don't even think they know what they're missing, not having a father," Emily admitted.

"You don't have to tell them Enrique is their father," Alison suggested, helpfully. "You guys don't plan of him being in their lives, so he could just be...an old friend." She smiled at both of them.

Emily and Maya looked thoughtful, considering the positives of Ali's suggestion. But then, of course, they couldn't help but feel guilty of deceiving their twins. The ramifications of keeping their biological father a secret and then having it come out some time down the road would be devastating. They had to choose carefully; whatever they did would affect Molly's and Mackenzie's futures.

Ali laid her hand over Emily's, causing Emily to turn back to her. "I just want to help you, any way I can," she explained to her friend. Emily nodded in understanding. "Let's not ruin this fun outing with bad thoughts."

As if on cue for a change of subject, Hanna was just now getting off the phone. "Ok, I love you, too," she said into the phone, with a smile. She clicked off her phone, placing it on the seat next to her. She switched Hailey from one arm to the other, though the baby didn't seem to mind. Hailey stretched out her small limbs and yawned, then she resumed her post of studying everything in the room with her brown eyes. Hanna chuckled, tickling Hailey under her chin.

"Who was on the phone, Han?" Alison asked, invitingly, leaning forward on her knees.

"It was Caleb," Hanna answered. "Leslie gets a little nervous when either one of us is away for too long. She just wanted to talk to me for a little bit." There was worry over her little girl in her eyes, but her friends saw her trying to mask it.

"Is she alright now?" Emily asked.

"Yeah, after I promised her that I'll be coming home soon, she started telling me about all the fun they were having," Hanna told them, smiling. "She said that Molly and Kenzie are playing with her and helping her."

"Molly and Kenzie love playing with her," Emily added, then laughed, "They almost treat her like a little doll. It's so precious to watch." The two friends smiled at each other.

"Leslie is a special little girl," Alison commented, as well. "How is she doing?" She was genuinely interested in knowing about how Leslie was doing; spending two years with someone really attaches you to them.

"She's fine," Hanna said, bouncing Hailey lightly. "She's still having some bad dreams, but it's not that bad. She's going to be just fine."

"Are you sure?" Ali questioned, supportively. "Because maybe I could talk to her, tell that she's safe now. I was there with her in that house, I could help her-"

"I appreciate that you took care of my daughter for those two years, Ali," Hanna interrupted. "But Caleb and I can take care of our daughter now. We don't need any help." She looked back down at her baby.

Alison sat back, looking down at her hands in her lap.

There was a few beats of silence. "We are here for you, Hanna, if you need it," Emily replied, softly. Hanna nodded mutely, without looking up.

"Yeah, we are," Spencer added, as she held Eliza against her shoulder, burping her.

Another quiet moment passed, and then Aria called out from the dressing stall. "Spence, can you zip me up!" she called.

"Sure," Spencer called back. She laid Eliza back into her car seat, strapping her back in. She stood up and inadvertantly knocked her purse to the floor, some of the contents spilling out. Spencer quickly bent to retrieve it, and she didn't see Ali lean over to help her.

Alison picked up one of the spilled items up, standing up and facing Spencer. "What's this?" she asked, in a whisper. She didn't want to alert the other girls as she held out an unmarked prescription bottle.

Spencer's eyes widened when she saw it, but she quickly hid it from Alison. She reached for the bottle. "It's nothing," she explained in a hurry. "I didn't even know it was in there."

Ali pulled the bottle back toward her body, before Spencer could take it. She narrowed her blue eyes, disbelievingly. "It didn't look like you didn't know it was there. Are you speeding again?" Alison whispered, even more quieter this time.

"No," Spencer lied, indignantly, though her voice was low, too.

"Spencer," Ali said, tilting her head and smirking. She paused for a second. "Does Toby know?"

"No, because there's nothing to know," Spencer continue to deny. She glanced over her shoulder at the dressing stall, then over Ali's shoulder, where the other girls were starting to get curious over what they were talking about. Spencer reached for the pill bottle again, and, this time, Ali let her take it. "Nothing is going on. I don't have a problem," she insisted, stuffing the bottle back into her purse.

"I sure hope not, Spence," Alison replied. She looked down at Eliza in her car seat. "You have some innocent lives in your hands." Having said what she could, Alison turned away. Spencer stared at her even as she turned away and sat back down in her seat. Then, she placed her purse back down on the floor, under her chair, and went to go help Aria. She felt a little more uneasy now that Alison knew her secret.

Spencer swept the curtain of the dressing stall aside, and gasped when she saw her friend dressed in the beautiful gown of white. "Aria, you look so beautiful!" Spencer exclaimed, smiling. "That dress is perfect."

"Well, don't get too excited yet," Aria told her, sounding skeptical but she couldn't hide her smile. "I'm sure some problem with it will arise any minute now." She turned around so that Spencer could zip it up in the back for her.

"Aria, stop, it looks amazing on you," Spencer praised her, zipping up the dress. Then, she stepped back. "How does it feel?"

Aria hesitated for a minute, then she finally turned around and spoke. "It feels really good, and it is really beautiful," she admitted, sheepishly.

"Great, let's go show the girls," Spencer chirped. She took Aria's hand and pulled her out of the dressing stall.

The rest of the girls ooh'ed and aww'ed over Aria and the dress, gathering around her. They all took turns spinning the petite brunette around, remarking on beautiful she looked. Finally, all of their excited chatter settled down.

"So, is this the one?" Hanna asked, just Hailey started to reach out to grab a handful of the dress. Hanna took a hold of her little hand without looking at her.

Aria chewed her lip, looking down at the dress again. She ran her hands down the dress, feeling its' smooth and silky material. Aria nodded, slowly at first, then she looked up at her friends and nodded more excitedly. "Yeah, yes it is," she answered.

The girls cheered happily and excitedly that Aria found her dress. The chatter and excitement definitely registered to Hailey and she decided to put in her two cents. She squealed loudly, causing the girls to laugh. Aria leaned down in front of the baby, smiling. Hailey reached out with her little hands toward Aria.

Aria took the baby's hands, kissing them. "Well, I'm so glad you like it," she cooed to the baby girl. She kicked out her legs, not knowing what Aria was saying but happy nonetheless.

With the dress picked out, there was nothing else to do but pay for it. It all took about twenty minutes, for Aria to change and pay for the dress, and to gather up the babies. Soon, they were walking out the door, leaving the dress shop, on the way to lunch. They were happy and carefree for the moment, despite the little problems floating around them. It was just like old times as they laughed and talked together.

"...I wonder how the guys are doing with the kids?..."

* * *

**A/N:** Well, what do you think? I'm sorry again for the long wait. FYW, if anybody's curious, the dress Aria chose is the one she wore in episode 4x23 'Unbridled'. Don't forget to check the trailer to this story, the link is in my profile. Mmm, is Alison truly helping the girls or will she just make things worse? Also, is anybody curious to know how Toby, Ezra, and Caleb are handling the rest of the kids? Review and let me know what you all think; I love hearing from you.


	9. Boys' Day Out

**A/N:** Thank you again to the anonymous reviews; I appreciate them all. I'm so glad you're still reading my story. If you sent a signed review, then I already sent you a review reply. :D Also, thank you to everybody who watched the trailer; I'm glad you liked it and took the time to watch it. Anyway, here's the next chapter; enjoy :)

* * *

**~ Chapter 9 ~**

**~~ Boys' Day Out ~~**

_**Toby, Ezra, Caleb**_

"Uncle Toby, my mittens look weird!" Molly whined, holding her turquoise mittens out. The three men and five kids were in Aria's and Ezra's garage connected to the side of the house, dressing the kids to play in the snow. It was turning out to be more of a project than they had originally anticipated.

Toby looked up from where he was putting Tyler's snowboots on, and looked at Molly's mittens. He chuckled when he saw what the problem was. "You have to the same ones," he told her, pointing it out to her so that she understood. "Here, switch one with your sister."

"Oh," Molly said, feeling better.

Toby smiled at her and stroked her ponytail. He looked around the four year old to her twin sister. "Molly, switch one of your mittens with Kenzie. You have them mixed up," he called to the other girl.

"I Molly," Molly corrected him, right in front of him, giggling.

"I Kenzie," Mackenzie added, walking over.

"Ugh, I'm sorry," Toby laughed off his mistake, playfully pinching each girl's cheek. "You both look the same, it's hard to tell you apart."

Molly and Mackenzie giggled again. They always laughed when someone couldn't tell them apart. Then, they helped each other to put their mittens on. They wore matching snowsuits; turquoise overralls and jackets with white fur-lined hoods, and white snowflakes all over the pants and jackets. The girls also wore matching white snowboots.

Toby turned back to his son, who still one and a half boots on. Tyler sat on the concrete floor in his navy blue overralls, leaning back on his hands with his legs sprawled out in front of him. "You didn't put your foot in yet?" Toby joked with him.

"I did," Tyler insisted, though half his foot hung out of the boot that was on its' side.

"You did? Then, how come I can still see your foot," Toby questioned him, reaching out to tickle Tyler on his belly. Tyler laughed and squealed, falling backward. Toby caught him before he could crack his head against the floor. "Ok, put your boot on or you can't go outside in the snow."

Tyler gasped and shoved his foot all the way into his boot, his nylon snowsuit rubbing together as he moved. He sat patiently as his daddy tied his boot, and then he jumped up to get his matching navy blue coat with a lighter blue stripe on the front.

Just a few feet away, Caleb was dressing Leslie in her light pink Minnie Mouse snowsuit. He was adjusting the straps of her overralls, so that it fit better, much to Lesle's dismay. "Daddy, all done," she told him, trying to pull away and almost toppled over in her almost too heavy boots.

"Hold on, princess, I just want to make sure your straps don't fall down when you're playing," Caleb explained to her, chuckling. Leslie just looked up at him, not completely knowing what he was saying but just knowing that he didn't let go.

"Ok, all done," Caleb said, after another second. "Let's get your coat on now." He picked up her matching coat, and held it open for her to slip her arms into.

Leslie moved a little closer to put her coat on, taking a small step forward. However, she wasn't too used to walking in her snowboots, so she stumbled instead. She fell into Caleb and since he had been balancing on the balls of his feet, he fell down, too, with Leslie on top of him. Leslie laughed and giggled when she fell on her daddy.

Caleb gasped, playfully. "You pushed me down!" he feigned surprise.

"Yeah!" Leslie exclaimed. Her smile was so big and it melted Caleb's heart.

Caleb gasped again, and grabbed a hold of her and started tickling her. Leslie squealed again in delight. They played for a couple more minutes, then Caleb stood back up on his feet and placed Leslie on her feet, too. "Ok, don't push me down again," Caleb warned her, teasingly, holding out her coat again.

"Okay," Leslie giggled. She slipped into her coat, letting her daddy zip it up. Caleb slid her pink hat over head, making sure it covered her ears. He tucked her braid into her coat, and then pulled her hood up, zipping her coat up all the way. Lastly, Caleb helped her put her mittens on.

By that time, Molly and Mackenzie had sidled up next to them. "Leslie, look, we all have mittens!" Mackenzie told her, as she and her sister held out their mitten-clad hands to their little friend.

Leslie gaped at the two older girls. "Wow," she finally let out.

"Mittens are better than gloves," Molly added, looking pointedly over at Tyler and Liam, who had gloves instead of mittens. "They keep your fingers toasty-warm." Mackenzie nodded, agreeing with her sister, and then Leslie bobbed her head a few seconds later. Caleb chuckled at the girls' interaction.

A loud electronical beep sounded from across the garage, and Liam let out a frustrated groan. "Oh, c'mon!" he exclaimed. Liam was perched on a couple of boxes in his green camo snowpants, green hat, and green open coat. His head was bent as he played his DS game. Ezra was kneeling in front of him, attempting to zipper Liam's coat but it had gotten stuck on the fabric.

"Liam, c'mon, put your game away. We're about to go outside," Ezra instructed, concentrating on the zipper.

"No, we're not. You're still zipping my coat," Liam pointed out, still with his head in his game.

"Well, we're about to go out," Ezra replied. Then, emphasizing his point, the zipper became unstuck and Ezra zippered up his son's coat. "Ah-ha, see, I think we're ready now." He patted Liam's shoulder, encouraging him to get up while looking around at the others. The other kids were all bascially dressed, ready to go outside. Toby was just finishing up putting Tyler's hat and gloves on.

"Hold on, I'm almost to level 10," Liam said, still very much into the game, his fingers moving aptly on the controls.

"Ok, you can sit there and finish your game," Ezra began saying, walking to the door leading to the backyard, knowing this was going to work to get Liam up. "The rest of us will go outside and play in the snow."

Ezra was right. Liam gasped, fumbled to turn his game off, placed it down on the box he was sitting on, and jumped up. The six year old pulled his gloves out of his pockets and pulled them on as he ran for the door.

Everybody was dressed in their snow gear, and filed out the back door of the garage in a single line, the children going first. They stepped outside, their boots crunching in the snow, and the children stopped and stared at the winter wonderland in front of them. Glittery white snow covered the backyard in piles and drifts, covering the trampoline and the swing set. The kids snapped out of their hypnotic reverie, running into the fluffy goodness.

Of course, Leslie followed the other kids, mostly Molly and Mackenzie. However, she took a couple steps out into the snow and fell right into the snow. She didn't cry, but the fall did startle her and she sat in the snow, wondering what happened.

"What happened? Did you fall in the snow?" Caleb asked her, chuckling, trudging over to her in the snow.

Leslie looked up at him through her hood, then bobbed her head. "Yeah," she answered, smiling. Then, catching her daddy off-guard, she swiped at the snow, causing it to sprinkle in Caleb's direction.

Caleb gaped at her. Leslie laughed and ducked when Caleb tossed some snow at her. She was just reaching to pull her daddy into the snow, when her attention was diverted to something else.

"Leslie, come over here!" Molly called over to her. "We making snow angels!" Both her and Mackenzie were laying in the snow a few feet away, moving their arms and legs back and forth in synchronosity, making the traditional snow angel.

Leslie looked over at them, and then attempted to make her away over to the girls. She fell a couple more times, but her perseverence kept her going until she was standing over the twins. She stared down at them in wonder, trying to figure out what they were doing.

"C'mon, Lessy, do what we do," Mackenzie told her, waving her hand at her. Then, she continued making her snow angel.

Leslie still wasn't too sure of what they were doing, but she didn't care. She plopped down in the snow, and began to copy Molly's and Mackenzie's movements. Except that Leslie didn't like the feeling of her head in the snow, so she lifted her head up and just moved her arms and legs in erractic movements. The guys laughed as Leslie mimicked Molly and Mackenzie. The two year old stopped before the twins did, sitting up and starting to bury her legs in the snow.

"Can we go sledding?" Liam asked, pulling a blue sled behind him by the rope. Tyler was also behind the older boy, having a bit more difficulty with the red sled he was trying to pull. The sled came over a small hill, sliding downward and knocked Tyler off his feet. The little boy fell backward onto the sled and the added momentum caused the sled to slide forward a couple more feet.

"You okay, Ty?" Toby asked his son, in between his laughter. Tyler just looked up at him, pushing his hat out of his eyes.

Ezra told Liam yes to his question, and Liam was thrilled. "Tyler, you wanna race? Boys against girls?" Liam asked the three year old.

"Yeah!" Tyler agreed, jumping up and down. When Liam turned around, Tyler climbed onto the red sled and sat down, holding on to the rope.

"Hey, girls!" Liam yelled over to the three girls. "Let's race!" Then, he turned back around and saw Tyler. "Tyler, no, we're on the blue one."

Tyler climbed onto the correct sled, and the girls trudged over, Leslie commenting that they were going for a ride. Molly and Mackenzie sat on the sled excitedly, holding onto Leslie in the middle. Liam gave instructions to the dads, telling them each their jobs. Toby was pulling the boys' sled and Caleb was pulling the girls' sled. Ezra was being the ref, and Liam told him to make sure that the boys don't lose. They rode sleds for about fifteen to twenty minutes, until the girls accused Liam of cheating and wanted to play something else. Caleb took the girls to the front yard to build a snowman, and Toby and Ezra stayed in the back with the boys.

Suddenly, a snowball thwapped Ezra on the shoulder and snow sprinkled against Toby. They both turned toward their sons, who were both smiling michieviously.

"Snowball fight!" Liam shouted.

"Snowball fight!" Tyler repeated.

The young boys threw a couple more snowballs, or just snow in Tyler's case, until they became overwhelmed with the amount snowballs their dads were throwing at them. "To the fort!" Liam shouted, to Tyler. He turned and ran for the swingset. Tyler threw one last handful of snow, then ran to catch up with Liam. Toby caught Tyler in his arms when the toddler was halfway to the swingset, and the pair fell into the snow, laughing. Liam made it to the swingset, starting to clunk up the slide in his heavy boots. It was more difficult than it usually was, because he kept slipping. Ezra caught up to him, grabbed Liam's ankle, and pulled him down the slide. However, the iciness of the slide and the nylon of Liam's snow suit caused him to slide down a lot faster and crash into Ezra. They both went tumbling into the snow.

Out in the front yard, the snowman-building was slow-going. Molly and Mackenzie were more interested in decorating the snowman than actually building it, so they were gathering together rocks, sticks, and other stuff. Caleb sat in one spot, doing the actual building of the snowman. Leslie sat next to him, adding snow to it at different intervals. That is, when she wasn't accidently knocking into the snowman when she was moving around.

"Done, daddy?" Leslie asked, for the umpteenth time. She leaned up on her knees, patted some snow on the body, then sat back down. She dusted off her mittens, getting little snow flurries in her face.

"Not yet," Caleb told her, rolling snow up in a ball. "We still have to put the head on." When the head was big enough, he picked it up carefully and placed it on the snowman's body.

"Ta-da!" Leslie exclaimed, throwing out her arms. Caleb laughed good-heartedly at her.

"No, Lessy, we hafta give him a face first," Kenzie told the younger girl, as she and her sister came walking back up with their supplies in their hands. They started to put the face on together and the hat and scarf. Leslie just watched in wonder.

Then, the two boys came charging around the side of the house to the front, Toby and Ezra right behind them. Molly and Mackenzie saw them coming and went to defend their snowman. "Stop!" they both yelled in unison. "Don't hurt our snowman!"

Liam and Tyler came to a sudden stop in front of the twins. Tyler had to much momentum when he stopped that he fell forward on his face, but he got back up without a fuss. "We're not gonna do nothing," Liam said to the girls. "We wanna help."

"Oh," Molly said. The kids worked together to finish the snowman, almost not needing adult help. They were so proud of the finished product that Toby, Ezra, and Caleb decided to take a picture of the kids with the snowman, and send the photo to their counterparts. Emily, Spencer, Aria, and Hanna would love to see how much fun the kids were having.

Taking the picture, on the other hand, was easier said than done. Once one kid was lined up, another one had a problem. This one doesn't want to stand next to this one, that one is leaning on someone. This one's feet is cold, that one isn't standing still. But they did get the picture, with all of the kids smiling big and happily. It was a snow day to remember.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

At lunchtime, Caleb, Ezra, and Toby brought the kids inside to eat. It was all a bit hectic, taking all the snow clothes off and sending the kids inside when they were done. Liam was the first one done, and, being the oldest, he was charge of sheperding the younger ones inside the house and making sure they don't get into anything. Liam was having a little difficulty with his job, while the guys were laying out the snow clothes so that they could dry. Tyler was really the only one listening to the six year old. Leslie wouldn't go inside without Caleb, and Molly and Mackenzie were waiting for Leslie to go inside. Eventually, Liam gave up on the girls and just took Tyler inside.

Soon, everybody was inside the house. The kids were sitting around the table, awaiting their grilled cheese sandwiches. Liam had brought his pokemon cards out of his room and was showing them to Tyler. Molly and Mackenzie were playing a hand-clapping game, and Leslie was watching them quietly, playing with her bottom lip.

After a couple minutes, the sandwiches were delivered to the children. "Here's your sandwich," Ezra said to Liam. "Move your cards out of the way before they get dirty." He helped Liam push the cards off to the side so that there was room for his plate.

Caleb set down Leslie's plate, then the twins' plates. "Ok, one sandwich for Kenzie, cut into rectangles, and one for Molly, no crust and cut into triangles," he announced to the girls.

Molly and Kenzie looked at the plates, then each other, and giggled.

Caleb looked between them, his hands on his hips, smiling. "What?" he asked them.

The twins were still giggling. Then, the one on Leslie's left, said, "I not Kenzie. I'm Molly." At the same time, the one on Leslie's right replied, "_I'm Kenzie_." Then, they passed each other the correct plates.

Caleb laughed, shaking his head. He looked down at his two year old, who had been watching the interaction. "They're so confusing. Can you tell them apart?" he asked her, jokingly.

Leslie smiled, nodding. "Mollee, Kenzee," the toddler told her daddy, pointing to the correct girl in turn. Caleb gaped at her and tickled her.

"Daddy, cheese allll gooey!" Tyler complained, as he held one of his four triangle sandwich slices and looked at the cheese getting all over his hand.

Toby came around the table to assess his son's mess. "Aw, buddy, what did you do?" he questioned the three, almost four, year old. Then, he saw that Tyler was squeezing the sandwich in his fist as he ate.

"Eating," Tyler answered.

Toby chuckled, ruffling Tyler's hair. "I know you're eating. Don't squeeze your sandwich so hard when you're eating," Toby told him. He wiped the cheese from Tyler's hands, even as the toddler was fighting with him trying to finish his lunch. "Why are you so messy when you eat?" Toby muttered, not really expecting an answer.

Tyler grinned up at him, cheekily.

"He's messy, because he's still little and doesn't really know how to eat," Liam answered for the younger boy.

"Oh, yeah?" Toby laughed.

"Yeah," Liam nodded, putting the last piece of his grilled cheese in his mouth. He turned to his own dad. "I'm still hungry. I wanna another one." Liam held out his plate.

"Another one?" Ezra repeated, his eyebrows raised in surprise. He walked over, reaching for Liam's plate. "Are you sure you're going to eat it?"

"Uh-huh," Liam insisted, reaching for his drink. He lifted his small mug of hot chocolate carefully and brought it to his lips. He blew on it to cool it off, watching as he blew a little too hard and a tiny marshmellow almost leaped out of the mug. Liam cackled, "'Whoa, did you see that?"

"Yes, I did," Ezra smiled at his son, taking Liam's plate. He rubbed Liam's back. "Be careful, though." Ezra turned around, and moved to the kitchen counter to make Liam another sandwich.

Caleb noticed that Leslie was barely picking at her grilled cheese sandwich, so he knelt down beside her chair. "What's the matter, princess?" he asked, his hand going to rest at the nape of her neck. "Why aren't you eating?"

Leslie turned toward him, pulling her bottom lip into her mouth with her thumb and forefinger. "Where mommy?" she asked, quietly.

"Mommy is out shopping, helping Aunt Aria find a pretty dress for the wedding," Caleb explained to her, soothingly. He stroked her back slowly, back and forth.

"Mommy come back?" Leslie asked again, this time more whimpery.

"Yeah, mommy will come back after your nap," Caleb reassured her.

"Noooo, mommy come now!" Leslie whined, her eyes starting to glisten with unshed tears.

"Shhhhh, mommy can't come back right now," Caleb murmured to her, pulling her into his arms. Before she could cry harder, Caleb added, "How about you finish your lunch, and then we'll call mommy on the phone and you can talk to her. Ok?"

Leslie nodded sadly. Caleb sat her back in her chair. "Now, show me what a big girl you are and eat all of your lunch," he said, trying to cheer her up. Leslie's smile started off slow, then she picked up her sandwich and took a big bite. She smiled and chewed, looking at her daddy. Caleb grinned back at her, kissing her forehead. "That's my girl," he whispered to her.

After lunch, the kids were going in almost all different directions. Caleb took Leslie into another room to talk to Hanna on the phone. Molly and Mackenzie slid out of their chairs at the table, saying they wanted to watch cartoons and play with the toys they had brought in their bags. Ezra was cleaning off the table when the girls got down.

"Here, don't forget your hot chocolates," Ezra reminded them, holding out their plastic cups with lids and curly straws (one pink, one purple). "This stuff is too good to waste." He smiled at the twin girls.

Molly and Mackenzie looked at each other again, and giggled. Ezra looked at them curiously. The girls giggled again, and reached for the opposite cup than the one they were handed. "Thank you," the twins told Ezra, together.

They walked away, heading to the living room and picking up their backpacks along the way. "How come nobody can tell us apart?" Molly whispered to her sister, leaning into Kenzie's ear.

"I dunno," Mackenzie whispered back in Molly's ear. "Mommy's right. We wear our bracelets next time." The girls nodded in agreement, disappearing into the living room.

Ezra was laughing to himself. "I wonder if they planned the mix-ups or if they just happened that way?" he wondered out loud to the closet person to him. Toby.

"Emily said that they never take off their name bracelets, and I don't see them wearing them," Toby replied, also laughing. "I just wonder who's idea it was not to wear the bracelets; theirs or Emily's." The boys laughed at the possible joke that was played on them.

Then, Ezra's attention was pulled at the sound of the languid sigh behind him and he was reminded of the small shadow that had been following him around as he cleaned up the kitchen. He turned toward his son.

"Can I go back outside now?" Liam asked, sounding very bored. He leaned up against the counter, over exaggerating his boredom.

"Are you sure you don't want to take a rest first?" Ezra suggested, knowing he himself was exhausted after the playtime in the snow. "The little ones are going to down for a nap-"

"NO NAP!" Tyler exploded, from his perch at the kitchen table. He had been playing with his dinosaur sippy cup, but now everybody had his full attention. "No nap!"

Liam groaned, slumping more against the counter, and Ezra motioned to him not to mention 'outside' again. Toby knelt down in front of Tyler. The little boy started drinking his hot chocolate again.

"Ty, it's naptime. You have to take a nap," Toby explained to him. "I think you're tired. You had a lot of fun today, you need to take rest."

"Nooooooo!" Tyler whined, the sippy cup slipping out of his mouth and it left a trail of hot chocolate down his chin.

Toby tilted his head, giving his son a stern but gentle look. "Don't make me call mommy and tell you're not listening," he warned the toddler.

Tyler still pouted and whined, but he didn't argue. He fell into Toby's arms limply, his little arms going around Toby's neck. Toby picked Tyler up from his chair. Tyler's head fell against his daddy's shoulder, giving in to his tiredness. Toby bounced him lightly.

"Do you want to sleep in Liam's room?" Toby asked him, looking down at the boy. Tyler nodded enthusiastically, despite his tired stance.

"Liam will lay with you and you can watch his new Despicable Me 2 movie," Ezra added. Toby gasped surprisingly, encouraging Tyler even more to go for a nap and saying how the little boy loved the minions in the movie.

"Huh?" Liam gasped, his mouth dropping open as he stared at Ezra. Ezra shushed him, leading Liam to the staircase with Toby and Tyler. It was Liam's turn to pout and he was about to stomp his foot when Ezra nudged him and gave him a wink, silently telling him that he'll take him back outside after the little ones fell asleep. After that, Liam was more pleasant and helpful.

The little boys laid down in Liam's room to watch Despicable Me 2 and those funny little yellow minions. Tyler was asleep in about fifteen minutes. The girls didn't want to sleep with the boys, so the dads settled them down in the living room with pillows and blankets. It was a little difficult to get Leslie to lie down, but Molly and Kenzie said they'll lie with her. Leslie was also okay as long as Caleb sat in the same room with her. They watched Beauty and The Beast that they had been lucky enough to find playing on cable. The girls were mostly quietly, only whispering occasionally to each other. They fell asleep right as Belle and the beast were falling in love. Ezra took Liam back out in the snow shortly after the other kids fell asleep, and they had a fun time jumping on the trampoline and laughing as the snow flew up in the air and on them. The day couldn't have gotten any better.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The kids slept for about two hours. Liam had come in after a half hour, having gotten too cold, and now he and Ezra sat on the floor in the den playing checkers. As the other kids started waking up, they began filtering into the den. It was around this time that Emily, Maya, Spencer, Aria, Hanna, and Alison arrived at the house, done from their day of shopping. Aria swept through the door and up the stairs, wanting to keep the groom's eyes off her wedding dress.

Leslie was the first one to greet them. She slid down from Caleb's lap and ran forward. "Mommy!" she exclaimed, holding out her arms wide. Hanna had just enough time to set Hailey down and catch Leslie as she launched herself into Hanna's arms.

"Did you have fun with daddy and the other kids?" Hanna asked Leslie, adjusting her in her arms.

Leslie nodded, her index finger in her mouth. She glanced once back at Caleb, who was strolling toward them, then back at Hanna.

"Is that your snowman outside?" Hanna asked, smiling at the two year old, bouncing her two times.

"Nooo," Leslie shook her head, her braid whipping back and forth. "Dat Mollee and Kenzee." Hanna nodded in understanding, still smiling.

"You helped with the snowman, too," Caleb reminded her, as he finally approached them. He casually bent down and just gave Hailey a stroke on the head since she was sleeping. Then, he tickled Leslie. "And you almost made daddy into a snowman."

Leslie laughed and squirmed, trying to get away from Caleb tickling fingers. "I push you in snow!" she exclaimed, which only made him tickle her more and then kiss her on the cheek.

"I knew you'd have fun," Hanna murmured, nuzzling Leslie's cheek before planting a kiss there. Leslie smiled, laying her head on Hanna's shoulder. "Any problems?" she addressed Caleb.

Caleb ran his hand down Leslie's hair, looking at Hanna and giving her a tender kiss on the lips. "Just a little difficulty at naptime, but it wasn't that big of a deal," he explained to her. They shard a look and Caleb tried to communicate to Hanna to get Leslie help, but Hanna only cuddled Leslie closer, rocking her.

Aria came back down the stairs after putting her dress away, with Liam and Tyler trailing behind her. Liam was trying to find out what she was hiding. Aria told him it was her wedding dress, and was trying to get him to understand that he can't tell Ezra where it is. She stepped down off the staircase, averting Tyler who ran past her to greet his mommy, right into Ezra's arms. They shared a quick peck on the lips and a brush of their noses, grinning.

"So,...that big garment bag you rushed upstairs..." Ezra began, his smile widening. "That wouldn't happened to be_ the _dress, would it?" He settled his arms around her small waist and she did the same to him.

"Maybe..." Aria giggled, still on the high of getting her wedding dress. "And don't even think about getting Liam to tell you where it is." She warned him with a laugh.

"I wouldn't even think about using him like that," Ezra assured her, getting closer. "I want to keep the idea of seeing you walking down the aisle toward me in a beautiful gown a surprise until that day we say I do," he whispered the words to her, her lips only an inch apart.

"I can't wait," Aria whispered back, smiling. They kissed passionately, folding into each other's arms perfectly.

Meanwhile, Tyler was chatting on and on about the fun day in the snow he had. Spencer sat down on the couch with him, as Toby leaned on the armrest next to her getting reaquainted with Eliza.

"Daddy pull us fast and we win! We fro snow and run fast and make a snowman!" Tyler retold the whole entire day, enthusiastically. "And we watch 'espicable Me _2_! Bee doe, Bee doe, Bee doe!" The toddler mimicked his favorite part from the movie.

"Oh, wow, that was a fun day," Spencer commented, ruffling his hair and kissing his temple. She smiled up at Toby.

"Yeah," Tyler nodded. He turned toward his baby sister in Toby's arms. "I wish Lizzie can play in it."

"Awww, that's sweet of you," Spencer said, squeezing him in an one-armed hug. "But she's too little to play out in the snow, Lizzie doesn't know how to walk yet."

"Oh," Tyler replied, watching his sister put her hand in her mouth. He laughed out loud, pointing at her. Spencer and Toby looked down at the baby, chuckling with Tyler.

"And mommy is too overprotective anyway," Toby added, jokingly. Spencer gaped at him, though she was smiling, too. He leaned down toward her, and, just before their lips met, he said, "I still love you, though." Spencer grinned, murmured 'I love you too' back to him, and they kissed softly and sweetly.

"And the best part of the day was..." Mackenzie was saying, excitedly, to her mommies. The twins stood next each other, across from Emily and Maya, getting excited to tell the best part of the day.

"...was that no one can tell us apart!" Molly finished, just as excitedly as her sister.

"Really? No one?" Emily gasped, looking up and around the room. Ezra, Toby, and Caleb nodded in unison, regrettably acknowledging the twins' truth. "I told you, you should have worn your bracelets."

"Yeah, you right," Mackenzie agreed. The girls moved in to hug both Emily and Maya at the same time. "Only you and mommy know who we are." The family of four laughed, joining everybody else in, too.

All the friends stayed for dinner at Aria's and Ezra's house, talking and laughing together. When it was time to leave, the kids didn't want to go, but they were all too tired to put up much of a fight. Another day done, another memory saved.

* * *

**A/N:** How was it? This was a nice long chapter to make up keeping you all waiting. I hope you enjoyed this nice fluffly chapter, because things going to tense up more in these next coming chapters. Will they all make it through in one piece? Please review and tell me your thoughts.


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